Urban-Rural Linkages in East

African Mountains: The Role of

Secondary Towns

‘Global Change and the World's Mountains’

Perth, Scotland, 26-30 September 2010

H. MAINET

JC. EDOUARD

Hypothesis : intermediate towns play a key role in polarising

their mountain surroundings

• Central places in local and regional economies (through

flows of people and resources) and redistribution points

(between rural areas and within urban networks)

• More complex urban-rural linkages

• Analysis focused on markets and services to farmers

offered by and through intermediate towns (small and

medium towns)

• Analysis based on 2 fieldworks : Uganda (Mbale,

Kapchorwa) and Tanzania (Mbeya, Tukuyu), 2008-2009

The study area

Mount Elgon /Mbeya (Uganda)

Poroto Mountains-Rungwe / Mbale (Tanzania)

Mbale : at the foot of Mount Elgon, 30 000 inhabitants

200 km from Kampala

small town of Kapchorwa

close to the border with Kenya

Kenya

Mbeya : at the foot of Mbeya Range, near Uporoto mountains

and Rungwe, 200 000 inhabitants

680 km from Dar es Salam (TAZARA)

small town of Tukuyu

Close to the borders with Zambia and Malawi

I- Intermediate towns, hubs for flows of resources at the

local scale

From mountain areas to urban centres

Market function, redistribution of farm goods

Central market, Mbale Mbeya market

A selective geography of urban-rural linkages : specialized

markets in Mbeya

Uyole/Manjelwa :

largest markets, located on main road and crossroad, dispatching function

Uhindini :

Central market, old one, upper-class market

Specialized in beef meat

Sokomatola :

Former central market, lower-class market

Specialized in fresh fish

I- Intermediate towns, hubs for flows of resources

From urban centres to mountain areas

Redistribution of manufactured and « imported » goods

Agro-input shops in Mbale and Kapchorwa

I- Intermediate towns, hubs for flows of resources

From urban centres to mountain areas

Services to farmers

Micro-credit and farmers’ association in Mbeya

The importance of the urban hierarchy

(specialized outposts in small towns

and rural areas)

II- Intermediate towns, connected to wider networks

Regional polarisation

Mbeya markets : produces coming

from regional surroundings

II- Intermediate towns, connected to wider networks

Integration in international markets

III- Intermediate towns are facing paradoxical trends

• Increase in mobility/development of communication

networks = easier direct access from rural areas to

Metropolises

• Lack of local transformation for farm products

• Questions about national policies (ex. decentralisation

in Uganda)

Conclusion

Mbeya markets : produces coming

from regional surroundings

In Mbale, imported goods from Kenya

and through Kenya and Kampala