Abstract

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A study was conducted to determine the challenges that were faced by female fish traders, identify possible ways in which fish trade could contribute to sustainable livelihood of female-headed households, investigate measures that could be taken to improve the contribution of fish trade to sustainable livelihood of female-headed households and assess the extent to which female-headed households benefited from fish trade. The study was conducted at three major markets (Kitwe, Ndola and Luanshya) of the Copperbelt Province. A sample of 45 female fish traders were randomly selected for the study. Data was collected using both interviews and semi-structured questionnaires. Secondary data was collected by reviewing related literature from various institutions. Statistical package for social sciences alongside Microsoft Excel were used to analyse the data. Results showed that fish trade contributed to the sustainable livelihood of female-headed households despite economical and domestic challenges faced by many women, such as lack of finance, lack of support and poor supply of power. A significant number of these fish traders had their livelihood improved for the better. Most of them were capable of: affording three square meals per day; changing for the better in terms of diet diversity, paying children’s school fees on time and acquiring various household assets. On the other hand, most of them indicated that healthcare remained a major challenge even after venturing into fish trade.

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