Informal fish Vending and Livelihood Implications among Urban-based Women Vendors in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Abstract

This study sought to establish the informal fish vending and the livelihood implications among the urban-based women vendors in Dar es salaam City, Tanzania. The study adopted the qualitative approach with the phenomenological design.  Convenient sampling was used to recruit 110 fish vendors who were willing to share their views on the topic of the study.  Through questionnaire, the researcher asked a similar set of questions to all respondents with an exception of more probing to respondents who gave insufficient information. Data was analyzed descriptively. The study established that informal fish vending improved the livelihood of the urban-based women vendors in Dar es salaam City in various ways. Based on the conclusions, the study recommends that the government and other stakeholders need to establish small microfinances for providing and supporting soft loans to women fish vendors for them to increase their capital and expand their business which will facilitate better livelihood.