Female entrepreneurship in rural Uganda: a poverty trap analysis based on in-depth interviews

Rural female entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa are less privileged and often have limited resources and edification. Poverty traps analysis on rural female entrepreneurs in food processing in Uganda focused on identifying and explaining the existence of low well-being “basins of attraction”. In-depth interviews with 24 women and conversations with 2 groups were held. The results show that most of the female entrepreneurs found themselves in multiple poverty traps consisting of different problems such as marketing, technology and finance. These traps are also mutually reinforcing. Thus, single-instrument support might not be sufficient to push the women out of these traps. Combined support and interventions are called for.