Population and Environment
Volume 34, Issue 2, 2012, Pages 235-256

Circular migration, small-scale logging, and household livelihoods in Uganda (Article)

Jagger P.* , Shively G. , Arinaitwe A.
  • a Department of Public Policy and Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB# 3435, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States, Forests and Livelihoods Programme, Center for International Forestry Research, BOCBD, P.O. Box 0113, Bogor 16000, Indonesia
  • b Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, 403 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2056, United States, Department of Economics and Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 Ås, Norway
  • c Uganda Livelihoods and Enterprises for Agricultural Development (LEAD), United States Agency for International Development, Plot 58 Lumumba Avenue Naksero, Kampala, Uganda

Abstract

Little is known about the contribution of migrant logging to rural livelihoods in East Africa. In this paper, we analyze logging by circular migrants in land constrained and population dense southwestern Uganda. Drawing on a sample of 180 households, including both migrant and non-migrant households, we describe the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of migrant loggers, estimate the contribution of migrant logging to household income portfolios, test several hypotheses regarding why households decide to undertake this relatively risky activity, and explore the role of social networks as a determinant of higher incomes for migrant loggers. We find that household endowments of land, labor, and capital are different for migrant logger and comparison group households. Above all, labor endowments appear to be driving decisions to participate in logging. We find support for two migration hypotheses: higher expected incomes and wages at destination; and relative deprivation at origin. We find strong evidence that migrant logging reduces income inequality in the home community. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Author Keywords

Logging Forestry Informal sector Uganda Livelihoods Environment Circular migration

Index Keywords

wage rural area socioeconomic impact demography Uganda household income logging (timber) Forestry
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84869083383&doi=10.1007%2fs11111-011-0155-z&partnerID=40&md5=7cbba4d51b0385c8f256c639f8da1602
DOI: 10.1007/s11111-011-0155-z
ISSN: 01990039
Cited by: 7
Original Language: English