Strategies adopted by tomato traders to cope with COVID-19 restricted movements in urban areas in Uganda

The corona virus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic induced mobility restrictions in various countries worldwide, implemented to minimise the rapid spread of the pandemic. This regulation ushered in overwhelming challenges that constrained movements of agricultural commodities, especially perishables goods. Restrictions, particularly related to time of movement (curfew) and use of vehicular transportation, constrained access to the market demand for perishable food stuffs, especially tomatoes. The objective of this study was to document the strategies employed by wholesale tomato traders to cope with movement restrictions associated with COOVID-19 pandemic control in urban Uganda. The study was conducted among wholesale tomato traders in three main markets of Nakawa, Kalerwe and St. Balikudembe (Owino) in Kampala city. Using an exploratory sequential mixed research method design, data were collected from three Focus Group Discussions (FDGs), 15 Key Informant Interviews (KI) and 120 Individual face-to-face interviews (FFI). Up to 9 innovative strategies including (i) intensified use of phone calls and WhatsApp, (ii) use of alternative rural routes, (iii) collective transportation, (iv) purchase from nearby areas, (v) hiring purchase agents, (vi) use of smaller trucks, (vii) truck hawking, (viii) diversification of the business, and (ix) intermittent bulk purchases; were devised, by the tomato traders to cope with curfew and movement-related restrictions. Some of these interventions were residually sustained, following lifting of the restrictions; while others were eventually dropped. It was evident that whole sellers in perishable fresh foodstuffs need to be consented before effecting implementing movement-related restrictions, whenever such disasters and emergencies occur. There is a need to popularise and enhance capacity for adaptation of novel strategies such as online marketing, as a potential means for conducting business when physical proximity is restricted or prohibited.