Perceptions, impacts and pathways to alleviation

This article by Sundus Saleemi and Rosemary Emegu Isoto presents the challenges of time constraints facing men and women in Uganda’s rural areas and the pathways for overcoming them. It is based on Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) held in the districts of Kisoro and Bududa in the Western and Eastern regions of the country in November 2022.

The FGDs reveal significant time burdens faced by women because of their dual roles in agriculture and domestic responsibilities and absence of men’s support in care and domestic work. The lack of technologies, infrastructure and services exacerbates time constraints. Addressing these challenges requires interventions that consider women’s needs and their role as farmers and caregivers. Key recommendations to alleviate time burdens and enhance productivity are:

• Provide access to improved farming equipment that is affordable and suited to local landscapes (e.g. for hilly terrain).
• Introduce irrigation systems to support farming, especially during the dry season (the terrain demands novel irrigation systems).
• Expand mobile networks to enhance communication, facilitate financial transactions, and reduce travel time to access information.
• Support the adoption of organic farming, and ensure access to high-quality inputs (this includes skills and training on farming methods, development of agricultural input markets).
• Prioritise the construction of all-weather roads.
• Improve access to healthcare facilities to minimise the time for seeking medical services (e.g. expansion of community health centres).
• Support access to credit and financial resources, particularly for women.
• Encourage policies promoting collective marketing, allowing farmers to sell produce in bulk, access larger markets, and reduce time spent on individual transactions.
• Promote policies fostering organised livelihood groups to support women’s crafts and market access, diversifying their income sources.

The full article is available here.