Correlates of Family Size and Household Farm Units in Kisoro District, Uganda

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Date

2021

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Kabale University

Abstract

The study aimed at assessing the correlations between family size and household farm units in Rubuguri parish. Kirundo Sub-county, Kisoro District. The study was guided by three objectives, namely: to find out the relationship between family size and household farm units in Kisoro district; to assess the factors that determine family size in Uganda; and to find out the strategies for increasing household farm units in Uganda. The study employs a descriptive research design with both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The study used 90 respondents as a sample size from the 116 target population. The study findings indicate that the relationship between family size and household farm units in Kisoro district is influenced by social and cultural practices, the size and composition of the farm household, and the environment. Respondents were able to state some of the factors that determine family size in the Kisoro district. Age at marriage will determine the number of children produced by a female parent. Long ago, marriage was as early as 14 years for men and 13 for women by the age of 50. This couple would be one of the 13 children, hence the increased family size. Level of education was also identified as a factor that determines family size in that the more time students spend in school, the later they produce, and by the time they marry, they will produce less because most educated gentlemen marry at around 30 compared to their female counterparts who marry as soon as they finish college. There should be improved agricultural practices that will increase household farm units. This was followed by 15.4% of respondents who stated that they had copied mechanisms from other countries such as Bangladesh that could be used in Uganda to increase household farm units. The study concludes that respondents used various coping strategies and that the majority of respondents faced one or more constraints as the cause of their production. Closer relationships were identified between family size and the educational background of respondents, their religious background and the duration of employment of respondents. It was also realized that educational campaigns on family planning have not been yielding much effort since most respondents are still not using contraceptives. In addition, respondents with some form of higher education have smaller family sizes, indicating they have educated their children well. The study suggests that governments and non-governmental organizations focus more on the importance of family planning and advocate for small family sizes.The government should provide infrastructure like a good transport network and improved storage facilities, in order to alleviate the constraints faced by respondents

Description

A Research Report Submitted to the Faculty of Education in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of Bachelors Degree of Arts with Education of Kabale University

Keywords

Correlates of Family Size , Household Farm Units

Citation