James Natweta Baguma, Victoria Mukasa, D K Sekimpi, Daniel Sekabojja, Victoria Nabankema, Kamese Geoffrey, Eva Magambo, John Ssempebwa, Margrethe Smidth
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This study aimed to assessing the impact of borax utilization in gold processing on the income and livelihoods of miners and stakeholders in Buhweju, Busia and Kassanda districts in Uganda where the Free Your Mine project is being implemented.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A cross-sectional study using mixed methods was employed between October 2022 and January 2023 with data collected from 161 miners through semi-structured questionnaires, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and observations. Analysis was conducted using Atlas ti version 7.0 and Stata Version 15.0.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Findings indicate low adoption of borax and limited training coverage on the use of borax. While 80.1% of respondents saved money attained from gold mining activities, only 21.5% had investments. 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引用次数: 0
摘要
背景:矿产财富是包括乌干达在内的许多国家经济增长和基础设施发展的关键驱动力。手工和小规模金矿开采在提高收入和生计方面发挥着重要作用。然而,在乌干达,ASGM基本上仍然是非正式的,没有反映在该国的国内生产总值(GDP)中。世界各地有许多黄金加工方法。硼砂法以其操作成本低、回收率高、兼顾人力和环境等优点,已成为较好的提金方法之一。本研究旨在评估在乌干达Buhweju、Busia和Kassanda地区的黄金加工中使用硼砂对矿工和利益相关者的收入和生计的影响,这些地区正在实施“解放你的矿山”项目。方法:在2022年10月至2023年1月期间,采用混合方法进行横断面研究,通过半结构化问卷调查、关键信息访谈(KIIs)、焦点小组讨论(fgd)和观察收集161名矿工的数据。使用Atlas ti version 7.0和Stata version 15.0进行分析。结果:研究结果表明硼砂采用率低,硼砂使用培训覆盖率有限。80.1%的受访者将采金所得存了起来,但只有21.5%的受访者进行了投资。FGDs显示,由于与无汞方法相比,使用汞所需的时间更短,因此采矿者往往为了快速获得收入而使用汞,而kii强调需要政府干预,并需要制定政策,促进更安全的黄金加工方法,以实现可持续生计。结论:研究强调需要提高认识,制定政策以提高乌干达ASGM部门的安全性。此外,还需要资金支持将“解放你的矿山”项目扩大到乌干达其他金矿地区。
Utilization of borax and its impact on the income and the livelihood of miners and other stakeholders: A case of Uganda.
Background: Mineral wealth serves as a crucial driver of economic growth and infrastructure development in many countries, including Uganda. Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) plays a significant role in enhancing incomes and livelihoods. However, ASGM remains largely informal in Uganda, not reflected in the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Many methods of gold processing are available around the globe. The borax method has become one of the favorable methods for extracting gold due to its lower operating cost, higher recovery, human and environmental consideration. This study aimed to assessing the impact of borax utilization in gold processing on the income and livelihoods of miners and stakeholders in Buhweju, Busia and Kassanda districts in Uganda where the Free Your Mine project is being implemented.
Methods: A cross-sectional study using mixed methods was employed between October 2022 and January 2023 with data collected from 161 miners through semi-structured questionnaires, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and observations. Analysis was conducted using Atlas ti version 7.0 and Stata Version 15.0.
Results: Findings indicate low adoption of borax and limited training coverage on the use of borax. While 80.1% of respondents saved money attained from gold mining activities, only 21.5% had investments. FGDs revealed that miners often resort to mercury use for quick income as using mercury takes little time compared to mercury-free methods, while KIIs emphasized the need for government intervention and need for policies to promote safer gold processing methods for sustainable livelihoods.
Conclusion: Study underscores need for awareness, policy to improve safety in Uganda's ASGM sector. In addition, there is need for funding to support scale up the Free Your Mine Project to other gold mining districts in Uganda.
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