Nucleated Villages A Strategy for rural development in Northern Uganda

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Contents

the concept of nucleated settlements ? 1................................................13comparison with other proposals for rural development ? 2...............................19criteria for the provision of rural houses ? 3..........................................33The relative ease of providing social services ? 4......................................47The relative ease of providing infrastructure ? 5.......................................59Land ownership and access ? 6...........................................................75Agricultural production and marketing ? 7...............................................91The agricultural microfinancing component ? 8...........................................95sociocultural framework & the provision of psychosocial service ? 9.....................101acceptability of the nucleated settlement scheme ? 10...................................115The coordination & management component ? 11............................................123design of a n.s. in a district or sub-region ? 12.......................................145financial analysis of a pilot village ? 13..............................................171feasibility of the pilot project ? 14...................................................183

Chapter One

A nucleated settlement is one in which the previously dispersed rural population is brought together in planned or spontaneously created of appropriate size and sociocultural design for the efficient delivery of services and the efficient production of food. The shorter Oxford English dictionary definition of nucleated is buildings in a village: clustered together. of Nucleated Settlements

Origins

This concept, whether within the urban metropolis, townships, or rural areas is not new. In fact, all the ancient civilizations were birthed and nurtured when people, for various reasons, congregated within specific locations. Advancements in literally all areas of life began to take place within such nucleated rural settlements or urban conglomerates. For example, the history of the Mesopotamian Basin, the Nile Delta, and the Greek Acropolis attest to this fact. Archaeological studies of the history of Britain reveal similar findings. Recent excavations of medieval rural settlements in Southeast Wales reveal good survival of sites in nucleated (as well as dispersed) landscapes. (University of Wales, 2003)

This pattern applies equally to Uganda, even though it has a short history as a nation. The coming of foreigners, Arabs and Europeans, during the late 19th century began to draw people into settlements, many of which now form the modern cities and townships in Uganda. Before this period, however, some of the tribes did live within nucleated settlements. This congregating was mainly for defense due to the many inter clan and inter tribal wars at that time. The rest lived as scattered agriculturalists, nomads or gatherers of wild food.

Historically, a good example of different settlement patterns is represented by the various tribes of Northern Uganda. The Langi were scattered nomadic people. The Acholi, on the other hand, lived in nucleated villages or homesteads call "dog gang". The Langi cynically refer to the Acholi to this day as "Lugang" or "those who live together in close communities i.e. "nucleated homesteads". Another tribe, the Karamojong, lived in nucleated homesteads called "manyattas". Between the 14th and 16th centuries, Niolotic heders, or the Luos migrating south from Sudan and beyond, came across the Baganda, who were also living in nucleated villages; one main site was in Singo County of Buganda. The Acholi were surprised that these settlements were even bigger than the typical Acholi dog gang. The story goes that the Acholi called the place "kabake" meaning "the place where people gather in large numbers". The king of that settlement was called Kabaka. Many tribes of the Southern Sudan for example the Lutuku, the Toposa of Esatern Equatoria State live in nucleated villages.

It is clear, therefore, that the concept of nucleated settlements was not unusual historically in many parts of Uganda and is not at all unusual in many parts of the world. The question, however, is why the entire present Ugandan rural landscape (apart from the modern cities and towns and some areas of the Karamoja region) is characterized by scattered homesteads. In fact, there are many people currently in Uganda who don't know the real meaning of the word village nor have they seen a truly nucleated village as is common in many parts of the world. Whenever urban dwellers say they are going up country to the village, they mean or refer to isolated family homestead. The so-called cities and towns themselves typically still have rural, scattered and unplanned patterns. They do not have the definite town edges so clearly seen in the developed countries of Europe and North America and even in the developing countries of Asia.

Causes of Nucleation versus Dispersion

What then caused the transition in Uganda from the historical picture of many nucleated rural settlements to the current situation of isolated homesteads? Reasons include a diminished need for defense in inter clan/inter tribal wars or people looking for new economic and social opportunities outside their villages.

An example of the influence of economics is illustrated by the current rural settlement pattern in parts of England. In Upper Teasdale, farms are isolated because the farmers keep sheep on relatively poor land in a region that suffers a harsh climate. Each farm, therefore, requires a large amount of land in order to function economically. In South Dorset, by contrast, farms are clustered together in a nucleated settlement pattern near wet points for economic efficiency. (IGCSE Geography, 2004)

Other reasons that cause either nucleation or dispersion, especially in the United Kingdom, include: (IGCSE Geography, 2004)

? Land quality: In highland England, a cold, damp climate and poor soil means that each farmer needs a large area to produce enough food. This gives a dispersed land structure.

? Social traditions: A long tradition of individual land ownership, as in Cambria, leads to a dispersed pattern. Communal land ownership in lowland England in the Middle Ages produced nucleated village settlement patterns. In the eighteenth century, enclosure of medieval open fields in lowland England led to the dispersal of farms from villages into surrounding fields.

? Localized resources: Small 'islands' of dry land in marshy area such as the fens of Somerset led to the clustering of farms. Springs and wells in chalk areas, where there are few surface streams, also caused nucleation.

In other parts of the world, causes of settlement patterns are both geographic and historical in nature. These include the following:

? Defense: The need for defense has always caused nucleation. This is true even in areas of marginal agricultural potential which typically should have called for dispersion. There is a good example in Karamoja, a semi-arid region, but because of the constant cattle raids and inter clan wars, the people live in nucleated...