The Daily Life Strategies of Small-Scale Farmers after Prolonged War: The Long-Term Influence of Humanitarian Assistance

Abstract

Southern African countries have been constantly plagued by war and political struggles. In particular, when the war in Angola ended in 2002, people repatriated back to the country. Previous papers have not specifically included a perspective on how local people in eastern Angola accepted humanitarian aid, nor how it was incorporated into their daily livelihood strategies in this post-conflict situation. In the absence of this perspective, this study aimed to clarify the livelihood strategies of small-scale farmers called Mbunda following a prolonged war in Angola, focusing on how a humanitarian aid crop was utilised by the farmers. In eastern Angola, it is difficult to establish mutual aid relationships because people’s lives have become fluid. Social networks in post-conflict areas create vulnerable contexts for people, particularly those who rely solely on cassava for their food. The accelerated flow of people also contributes to the risk of a serious labour shortage. In this situation, the Mbunda continue to cultivate cassava and early maturing maize distributed via humanitarian aid to achieve selfsufficiency and start their lives immediately in a new place. Small-scale farmers have localised the humanitarian aid goods so as to have flexibility in their daily lives.