Outsiders often view the African countryside as a sea of self-sufficient peasant farmers, who grow what they eat and eat what they grow. But that romantic picture is long outdated. Rural workers have to hustle and take paid work
The forces of supply and demand are against her. Rents in her village are rising, because each year there are more people on the same amount of land. She cannot bargain for better pay, as there is always someone else willing to dig in her place. This season she has earned too little to rent a plot. She will work as a casual labourer throughout, buying a kilo of maize flour with her daily wage.
Africa is at an earlier stage of this transition than Asia or Latin America. Nearly all rural Africans still till some land of their own, which often remains their chief source of income. Half of them can be considered farming specialists, in that they earn more than three-quarters of their income from their fields. But household surveys show that people spend just two-fifths of their working time farming their plots. A quarter is spent processing, transporting and selling farm produce.
The quickening of commerce is also creating opportunities. Traders in Bushenyi buy jerry cans of mudfish and transport them along a chain that stretches across Lake Victoria to Tanzania, where fishermen prize them as bait. A local women’s group is making cooking pots. Gordon Ahimbisibwe rides door-to-door on his motorbike, buying coffee beans which he sells to an exporter.
Class distinctions are thus becoming sharper, as those with land and capital hire the labour of others. The World Bank’s household surveys typically find that wage work in rural Africa is rare. But that may reflect biases in the way that questions are asked, argues Bernd Mueller of the International Labour Organisation. Respondents often conflate the concept of employment with formal salaried work only.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Migrant boat disaster branded 'mass murder' as hundreds of Africans feared deadMigrant boat disaster branded “mass murder” as hundreds of Africans feared dead Greek authorities accused of failing to answer distress calls for several hours, just days after EU tighten 'Fortress Europe' restrictions
Read more »
First picture of motorcyclist who died during biker trip on rural Scots roadEmergency services rushed to the incident near to Boreland on the B723, between Annan and Eskdalemuir.
Read more »
Fifteen dead after bus and lorry collide in rural CanadaThe crash occurred at the junction of two major roads near the town of Carberry in southwestern Manitoba, 105miles west of Winnipeg.
Read more »
15 dead after bus and lorry collide in rural CanadaThe crash occurred at the junction of two major roads near the town of Carberry in southwestern Manitoba, 105 miles west of Winnipeg.
Read more »
Why the future of fish farming lies on dry landOur podcast on science and technology. This week, how to produce more fish sustainably amid an overfishing crisis
Read more »