Pathways to resilient rural livelihoods: Lessons from Southwestern Uganda.

Area of Science:

• Disaster resilience
• Community recovery pathways
• Socioeconomic vulnerability in rural Africa

Background:

• Disasters and pandemics severely impact rural livelihoods in southwestern Uganda.
• Limited understanding exists regarding community resilience and recovery in these regions.
• The study focuses on Isingiro and Kisoro districts to address this knowledge gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate resilience processes and recovery pathways in rural Ugandan communities affected by shocks.
• To apply the three capacities resilience framework (absorptive, adaptive, transformative) to understand community responses.
• To explore vulnerabilities, institutional roles, and household/community strategies for coping and adapting.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative methodology employed.
• 34 key informant interviews conducted.
• Four focus group discussions held.

Main Results:

• Existing support often emphasizes absorptive capacity (short-term relief) rather than sustainable change.
• Adaptive strategies, including indigenous knowledge and social networks, demonstrate community-driven resilience.
• Transformative capacity, crucial for long-term security, is underdeveloped.

Conclusions:

• Enhancing resilience requires long-term planning integrating institutional and community-based approaches.
• Building transformative capacity necessitates investment in economic vulnerability reduction, income diversification, and governance participation.
• Sustainable recovery depends on collaborative efforts to build systems that absorb, adapt, and transform.