Contribution of Microenterprises to Sustainable Livelihoods. The Case of Woliso Town, South West Showa Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia.
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2010-07
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This study is undertaken to examine the contribution of microenterprises to the
sustainable livetihoods of the households of their operators in Woliso town. The
Sustainable Livelihoods Framework has been employed to understand the dynamics
of the livelihoods of the households. Industry, trade and service are the major sectors
in which microenterprises engaged in the town. The study employed househotd
survey and in-depth case study to elicit the required data from sample
microenterprises selected from each sector The study has found out that
microenterprise operators com billed different tive tihood assets/capitals (human,
physical, social, and financial) to pursue different livelihood strategles/acflvities. in
different contexts, and realized such livelihood outcomes as increased income,
reduced vulnerability, and improved food security There were organizations and
institutions that, in one way or another, enabled or constrained the livelihood emieavor
of the operators Rising cost of living, loss of business, declining supply and rising
cost of local raw materials, chronic sickness and death of household heads were
found to be the major shocks and stresses the sample households faced In order to
cope with these shocks/stresses, the households adapted such mechanisms as
renting out rooms, reducing consumption of staple grains with soaring price, and
shifting to less nutritious food items. Microenterprises have contributed to the
sustain ability of their livelihood by providing sufficient income that buffers them
against stresses/shocks by themselves, and by supplementing other sources of
income.
Description
Keywords
Microenterprises to, Sustainable Livelihoods