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Market Gardening As a Livelihood Strategy

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Market Gardening As a Livelihood Strategy Market Gardening as a Livelihood Strategy A Case Study of Rural-Urban Migrants in Kapit, Sarawak, Malaysia Sarah Wong Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand 2005 Submitted to Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand in partial fulfilment of the Master of Development Studies (MDS) Abstract This research investigates the role market gardening plays in the livelihood strategies of rural-urban migrants. It contributes to the literature on market gardening, livelihood strategies and migration by positioning market gardening as a highly flexible and adaptable mechanism for managing the rural-urban transition among households with few labour alternatives. Such perspective elevates market gardening from simply being a land use category to being an active instrument in the management of rural-urban migration processes. The expanding urban centre of Kapit, Sarawak, Malaysia is used as a case study of a rapidly expanding small town in a predominantly rural domain. Market gardening emerges as an important source of income for both individuals and households as rural-urban migrants negotiate the transition between farming and urban settlement. Many rural-urban migrants adopt market gardening or associated market selling as their first employment in urban centres. First generation migrants often have low off- farm skills which limit their ability to take on alternative occupations. While a rise in market gardening activity is enabled by a growth in demand for fresh vegetables, in the context of Sarawak it is also heavily influenced by the involvement of the state that actively encourages participation, provides advice to farmers and offers subsidies. The expansion of roads from rural to urban areas also plays an important role in improving market gardeners access to urban markets, as well as their access to material inputs. At the same time, increased access has heightened competition by attracting new entrants to urban vegetable markets. Interviews with 10 sellers and 30 market gardeners from Kapit were conducted in 2004. In contrast to market gardening in larger centres documented in the literature, this small isolated town case identifies market gardeners as typically middle-aged, rural-urban migrant women with limited education and employment skills other than subsistence farming. Market gardening and associated selling is adopted because they are unable to acquire alternative employment to support their household and children’s education. As such, market gardening in the urban setting is a logical extension of the woman’s role as the primary farmer in rural areas. ii Acknowledgements Many people assisted in bringing this research together and I am grateful for their contributions. I am extremely appreciative of the market gardeners and market sellers who opened their doors to me and provided valuable insights into their livelihoods. Without their openness this research would not be possible. I thank my supervisor, Associate Professor Philip Morrison, for his valuable guidance and encouragement; and Professor Dimbab Ngidang (Universiti Malaysia Sarawak) and Professor Vijay Naidu (Director of Development Studies, Victoria University) for their input into the research. I am also indebted to the Chair of Malay Studies Research Fund at Victoria University for making the two journeys to Sarawak possible. In Sarawak, I am grateful to Kathleen Sullau for her assistance with the interviews and her intricate knowledge of Kapit Town; and to Reselie Ujih, Dominic Chunggat and Wilson Ngumbeng at the Kapit district and divisional offices of the Department of Agricultural (Jabatan Pertanian) for their assistance with longhouse visits and tours of the Department’s development projects. I also wish to thank Robert Menua Saleh (Tun Jugah Foundation), Dr William Corr, YB Encik Larry Sng Wei Shien, Kunchi Bantin, and James Sandak Bidai for their knowledge on development and wider issues in Kapit and Sarawak. I am also grateful to the Sullau family, Edward Manjah, Professor Dimbab Ngidang and Christina Baih for their warm hospitality in Kapit and Kuching. Finally, I express my thanks to Donald and Gloria Wong for their unconditional support and, along with the rest of the family, for the experience of a market gardening livelihood in New Zealand. I never imagined how useful it would be. Thank you also to Rob Smillie, for your support and distinct perspectives on place and space. iii Contents List of figures………….……………..…………………………… vii Chapter 1 Introduction…………………………………………. 1 1.1 Introduction to the research……………………………………………. 2 1.2 Aim and objectives……………………………………………………. 3 1.3 Outline………………...……………………………………………….. 4 Chapter 2 Market gardening and migration……………..…... 5 2.1 Research concepts……………………………………………………… 6 2.2 The role of market gardening in livelihood strategies………………….. 8 2.3 Market gardening and rural-urban migration…………………….. …... 13 2.4 Market gardening in Sarawak, Malaysia………………………………. 15 2.5 Conclusion……………………………………………………………… 19 Chapter 3 Kapit…………………………………………………. 21 3.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………….. 22 3.2 Kapit Division and Kapit District………………………………………. 22 3.3 Kapit Town……………………………………………………………... 28 3.4 Market gardening in Kapit……………………………………………… 30 3.5 Conclusion……………………………………………………………… 37 Chapter 4 Methodology and methods………………………….. 38 4.1 Methodology……………………………………………………………. 39 4.2 Methods………………………………………………………………… 40 4.3 Summary...……………………………………………………………… 46 iv Chapter 5 Social characteristics of respondents………………. 47 5.1 Age……………………………………………………………………… 48 5.2 Sex and ethnicity………………………………………………………... 49 5.3 Household data………………………………………………………….. 50 5.4 Education……………………………………………………………….. 51 5.5 Previous employment…………………………………………………… 53 5.6 Conclusion………………….…………………………………………….. 54 Chapter 6 Role of market gardening in household livelihood strategies…………………………………………………………… 55 6.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………… 56 6.2 Reasons for market gardening and market selling………………………. 57 6.3 How respondents learned to market garden……………………………... 59 6.4 Land ownership, area and usage………………………………………… 60 6.5 Crops grown and sold in Kapit Market…………………………………. 65 6.6 Vegetable growing……………………………………………………… 67 6.7 Vegetable net schemes and government subsidies……………………… 68 6.8 Vegetable marketing……………………………………………………. 70 6.9 Division of labour………………………………………………………. 79 6.10 Income and expenditure………………………………………………… 82 6.11 Future outlook…………………………………………………………... 91 6.12 Conclusion……….……………………………………………………….. 92 Chapter 7 Market gardening and rural-urban migration……... 94 7.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………... 95 7.2 Rural-urban migration…………………………………………………... 95 7.3 Rural-urban migration and market gardening ………………………….. 98 7.4 Rural-urban roads and market gardening………………………………. 102 7.5 Competition in urban markets…………………………………………... 103 7.6 Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 109 v Chapter 8 Discussion……………………………………………. 111 8.1 The role of market gardening in the livelihood strategies……………… 112 8.2 Relationships between market gardening and rural-urban migration….. 120 8.3 The future of market gardening in urban centres………….…………… 125 8.4 Conclusion……………………………………………………………… 127 Chapter 9 Conclusion…………………………………………… 130 Appendix I Interview questionnaire for market gardeners ………………………………… 135 Appendix II Interview questionnaire for market sellers…………………………………….. 139 References…………………………………………………………. 143 vi List of Figures Chapter 3 Kapit Figure 3.1: Map of the case study area – Kapit, Sarawak (Malaysia)………... 23 Figure 3.2: Map of the case study area – Kapit Town and its periphery……... 24 Figure 3.3: Logging on the Batang Rajang, Kapit District…………………… 26 Figure 3.4: ‘Slash and burn’ cultivation of hill padi (rice) along Sungai Sut, Kapit District………………………………………………… 26 Figure 3.5: Express Boats at Kapit Wharf……………………………………. 28 Figure 3.6: Longboats at Kapit Wharf………………………………………… 29 Figure 3.7: Market sellers and customers in Kapit Market (Market Teresang).. 32 Figure 3.8: Overspill of market sellers and customers onto the street outside Kapit Market……………………………………………… 33 Figure 3.9: Vegetable net house subsidised by the Department of Agriculture under its Agricultural Development Programmes…… 35 Chapter 5 Social characteristics of respondents Figure 5.1: Age of respondents………………………………………………. 48 Figure 5.2: Ethnicity and sex of respondents………………………………… 49 Figure 5.3: Typical breakdown of market sellers in Kapit Market by sex and ethnicity…………………………………………………. 49 Figure 5.4: Distribution of household size of respondents…………………… 50 Figure 5.5: Levels of formal education attended by respondents……………. 51 Figure 5.6: Number of years of formal education attended by market gardeners………………………………………………………… 52 Figure 5.7: Previous employment of respondents…………………………… 53 vii Chapter 6 Results: Role of market gardening in household livelihood strategies Figure 6.1: Reasons for undertaking market gardening activities…………… 57 Figure 6.2: How market gardeners learned to market garden……………….. 59 Figure 6.3: Acquisition of land used for market gardening…………………. 60 Figure 6.4: Percent of vegetables and fruit produced for sale by market gardeners………………………………………………………… 63 Figure 6.5: Crops grown and sold by Kapit market gardeners………………. 65 Figure 6.6: Diversification in land use around a net house………………….. 69 Figure 6.7: Places where market gardeners sold their vegetables…………… 70 Figure 6.8: Vegetable bundles on display in Kapit Market………………… 71 Figure 6.9: Method of transporting produce to the point of sale……………. 72 Figure 6.10: Hauling produce
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