Successes and challenges of women’s income generating projects in Zimbabwe by Purity Hamunakwadi Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of Master of Arts in Development Studies NelsonMandela Metropolitan University April 2016 Promoter/Supervisor: Professor Jonathan Makuwira Table of Contents TABLE OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... i LIST OF ACRONYMS ......................................................................................................ii ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... iii DECLARATION ...............................................................................................................iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................... v DEDICATION ..................................................................................................................vi CHAPTER ONE .......................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1 1. Introduction and background to the study ................................................................ 1 1.1. The geographical profile of Sadomba village ........................................................ 5 1.2. Problem statement ................................................................................................ 6 1. 3. Objectives ............................................................................................................ 8 1.4. Research questions .............................................................................................. 8 1.5. Significance of the study ....................................................................................... 8 1.6. Delimitation of the study ........................................................................................ 9 1.7. Summary ............................................................................................................... 9 1.8. Organisation of the study ...................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER TWO ....................................................................................... 11 LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................ 11 2. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 11 2.1. Conceptualising microfinance/microcredit ........................................................... 11 2.2 Sustainable livelihoods approach ......................................................................... 15 2.3. Women and development ................................................................................... 19 2.3.1. Women and poverty ......................................................................................... 20 2.3.2. Women in Zimbabwe ....................................................................................... 21 2.4. Learning from international best practices and experiences ............................... 21 2.5. National gender policy in Zimbabwe (2013-2017) ............................................... 27 2.5.1. Gender in productive resources and employment ............................................ 28 2.6. Summary ............................................................................................................. 30 CHAPTER THREE ................................................................................... 31 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND DESIGN .......................................... 31 3. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 31 3.1.1. Sampling and sample size ............................................................................... 33 3.1.2. Research design .............................................................................................. 33 3.1.3. Data collection methods ................................................................................... 35 3.1.3.1. Interviews ................................................................................................... 35 3.1.3.2. Focus group ............................................................................................... 37 3.2. Participant observation .................................................................................... 38 3.3. Data analysis ...................................................................................................... 39 3.4. Limitations ........................................................................................................... 40 3.5. Ethical considerations ......................................................................................... 40 CHAPTER FOUR ..................................................................................... 41 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION .................................................................. 41 4. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 41 4.1. Demographic information .................................................................................... 41 4.2. Contributions of Sadomba Cattle Project ............................................................ 45 4.3. Necessary conditions for successful income generating projects ....................... 47 4.3.1. Market ........................................................................................................... 47 4.3.2. Organisational capacity (Knowledge and skills) ............................................ 48 4.3.3. Availability of resources ................................................................................ 48 4.3.4. Economic and financial profitability ............................................................... 49 4.3.5. Community involvement and participation .................................................... 49 4.3.6. Technology ................................................................................................... 50 4.4.Challenges of women’s income generating projects ............................................ 51 4.4.1. Unavailability of exotic breeds (heifers) ........................................................ 51 4.4.2. Inaccessibility of microcredit ......................................................................... 51 4.4.3. Representation of the project to external stakeholders ................................. 52 4.4.4. Market information ........................................................................................ 52 4.5. Summary ............................................................................................................. 53 CHAPTER FIVE ........................................................................................ 54 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ............................................ 54 5. Introduction ............................................................................................................ 54 5.1. Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 54 5.2. Recommendations .............................................................................................. 56 5.3. Future research ................................................................................................... 58 References ............................................................................................................... 59 APPENDIX 1: INTERVIEW GUIDE FOR WOMEN INCOME GENERATING PROJECT .................................................................................................................. 68 TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1: Map Showing the location of Nyanga District in Zimbabwe…………………6 Figure 2: Sustainable Livelihoods Approach……………………………………………17 Figure 3: Age of respondents…………………………………………………………….42 Figure 4 Gender and level of participation………………………………………………43 Figure 5: Level of education……………………………………………………………...44 Figure 6: Marital status……………………………………………………………………45 i LIST OF ACRONYMS BRAC Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee CARE Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere CBOs community -based organisations CLUSA Cooperative League of the United States of America IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development KIP Kupfuma Ishungu program MFI micro-finance institutions NGOs non-governmental organisations SLA sustainable livelihood approach UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organisation UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for Women USAID United States Agency for International Development ii ABSTRACT Women’s income-generating projects are regarded as a critical area in promoting sustainable livelihoods in the lives of the poor. This study centres on a cattle project in Sadomba village in Nyanga District, Zimbabwe. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role and contributions of income-generating projects with regard to women; the necessary conditions for a successful cattle production project; the major challenges in women’s income-generating projects, and how income-generating projects can be strengthened, all in relation to this cattle project.The