CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

• The Context or Background of the study

Sub-Saharan African countries have witnessed unprecedented growth of its population within the last few decades (UN-Habitat, 2008). Accompanying this growth is an increasing number of informal activities within major towns and cities. Economic growth however, does not keep pace with the population growth which surpasses the capacity of both industrial and urban social services to effectively absorb the growing labor force (Seythyurema, 1981). Most developing countries are experiencing unsustainable urban growth and consequently, poverty incidences are high resulting in a large increase in the number of the urban poor. Thus, many of the poor have turned to the urban informal sector for their livelihoods (Holm, 1992). Among the most recent and unexpected seems to be food vending activities, which has been created at different points along many roads and junctions of many cities (Muiruri, 2010). The enormous food points have been a focal point where a variety of local products and other products of particularity are offered to its users and travelers in particular. The rampant increase of this activity due to the multiplication of food venues along the busy roads and increasing population which have made food become a call for concern, thereby drawing our attention toward this activity.

Food vending is not only seen as one of the options for earning a living in the face of increasing poverty, but it is also viewed as having a huge capacity to offset urban unemployment and poverty alleviation (Jimu., 2005). In Cameroon, the activity has become very rampant across the national territory. Nearly all regions and towns including villages in Cameroon depend on this activity for socio-economic livelihood sustainability by average income earners. This is because this activity does not require much start-up capital and does not equally require any educational qualification except for the people who engage into high scale cultivation or cookery.

Researches have been carried out on former food vendor’s perception and their experience in the activity in the city of Johannesburg (Khumo sello, 2012). The result of the findings demonstrated that former food vendors used food trading as an entry to the city and formal labor market. The findings also draws on the role that food trading played as a safety net during crisis. Winnie V. Mitullah (2003) in his publication entitle “Food vending activities-World Bank Document and report”, shows that food vending is an important source of income and employment. Vending provides an opportunity that minimizes the impact of social exclusion from any urban residents. In most African cities according to Mitullah (2003), food vending is rampant, and it is a source of employment and income to many urban dwellers. However, in most countries, it is not fully accounted and recognized in national economic statistics.

 Food vending especially on the food s has in the past been viewed as an underground activity that undermines the healthy function of the formal sector or economy (Muiruri, 2010). This perception has resulted in conflicts with urban authorities over licensing, taxation, site of operation, sanitation and working conditions. According to Caroline skinner (2008) in her publication of food in Africa: Wiego (2010), suggested that millions of people throughout the world still make their living partly or wholly through selling goods on the foods despite the advantages in modern retailing.

Mainstream economists like Easter Boserup are perceived as lacking an understanding of food vending, and hence its lack of coverage in economic measurement in all the countries and cities covered (Khumo sello, 2012). Even the local authorities who collect substantial revenue from the sector do not maintain records of the numbers and the contribution of the sector to urban economy. This implies that the local authorities cannot adequately plan since they have no representative statistics of the sector. The negligence of the food vending activities has resulted in the lack of accurate estimates of the numbers of food vendors. Charmes (1999) in his work provides some figures that can be used for assessing the importance of vending activities. Although it has been argued that vending attracts those with limited opportunities for obtaining prestigious businesses, and minimizes chances of social exclusion and marginalization; food is increasingly becoming an option for many citizens. It is no longer limited to lower social groups especially the underprivileged who carve out a living in an environment full of harassment by urban authorities.  A good number of entrepreneurs have entered the trade as an option especially since the beginning of the Structural Adjustment Programs (SAP) that resulted in the retrenchment of civil servants across Africa.

1.3 The Study Area

 This study was carried out in Bamenda II in Mezam Division. Bamenda II is situated in the southeast of the region between Latitudes 5° 56’ and 5° 58’ north of the Equator and longitudes 10° 09’ and 10°11’ east of the Greenwich Meridian (figure 1.1). Bamenda has a total surface area of 172.6Km²   with a population of 184277 giving us an urban  population of 159210 and a rural population of 25067 people  (CENSUS, 2005) and is linked by road to all the divisions of the Region. Bamenda II is also connected to the national administrative and commercial capitals of Yaoundé and Douala respectively by road through Bafoussam, the regional capital of the West Region. It is further connected to Nigeria by road through Mamfe in Manyu Division of the South West Region and the porous boundaries of Menchum and Donga -Mantung Divisions. The population are the ones making food vending possible; this is seen as the population is the one selling the products as well it is the same population that buys the prroducts.

Bamenda II is made up of three types of soils which are the lateritic and loamy soils found mostly in the lowly-lying areas. There are also clay soils in areas around raffia palm bushes. Given the hilly nature of the area most of the soils on the mountain slopes have been washed down to the valleys forming a rich zone of fertile soils leaving behind poor skeletal soils which do not favour agriculture. The lateritic/loamy soils are used for making of sun-dried bricks. Crops like corn, sweet potatoes are ground in the rich valley soils. However, eucalyptus trees are planted in some of the areas, which have heavily leached soils, hence contributing to the amount of vegetation in this area and availability of fuel wood for the population. These crops are the products that are sold in the market. The soils are enriched to produce good yields.

Bamenda has many rivers that drain and have some economic importance. They help in providing water for irrigation of crops as well as they serve as a means through which dirt is deposited. River Mezam is the most important river that drains Bamenda II which is characterized by the dendritic drainage pattern. The flood plains of the river are used for farming during the dry season and fishing activities are carrying out in the river and quarrying activities also take place in the mile 8 Mankon and Chomba areas. The land scape is mainly grass having fringes of forest along the gentle slopes and narrow valleys. The area is mostly made up artificial trees like the eucalyptus, cypress, mangoes and pear trees that modify the area. The Major problems with this sector are: poor state of roads, drivers lack mastery of the high way code and poor state of most vehicles. However, the road network within the Council area is such that all the villages are at least connected to the sub divisional headquarter and to neighbouring villages even though in most of the cases, these roads are very bad, making the transportation of goods very difficult. Footpaths are also very predominant and trekking is the order of the day with most of the villages involved in head-load transportation of goods. These roads are useful in transporting food from the farms to the market as well transporting inputs from market to farms.

Figure 1: Location of Bamenda II in Mezam division of the North West Region

Source: Adapted from the Geo-database of Cameroon, 2022.

• Problem Statement of the study.

The study covers food vending in Bamenda II and its impacts on the socio-economic lives of the population. This is a call for concern because the vendors mostly look dirty, unkempt and hungry. Not only do they hardly have time for themselves but they most at times work from Monday to Sunday. It puzzled my mind as to when they actually enjoy what they work for or maybe they don’t make profits at all. Their rural characteristics make it difficult for one to forecast if they are enjoying food vending as a means to ameliorate their socio-economic lives or it is done because it is a last resort. Thus, challenges that food vendors experience in the course of running their activities within the municipality was to be examined too.