The distribution of bicycles in Zambia, as part of a recent study, significantly enhanced the life outcomes of its participants.
The trial involved more than 1400 participants, including around 200 community health workers, and was held in Zambia’s rural Mumbwa District, west of the capital city of Lusaka. The study found that when adults gained access to bicycles –and were supported with trained mechanics and spare parts – the improvements were clear.
The two year randomised controlled trial began in 2023 and included Zambia’s most severe drought in decades. But the study showed that households with bicycles were found to have better food security and maintained higher incomes whereas households without bicycles experienced a marked drop in overall living standards.
As seen in the developed world, bicycle users were also found to rely significantly less on motorised transport and experienced productivity gains compared to those without.
Dave Neiswander, CEO of the World Bicycle Relief charity that distributed the bicycles and commissioned the study, said that the results showed the bicycle can be “a catalytic tool” which “gives people back their time, connects them to opportunity, and builds resilience that endures beyond crisis.”
Nearly 70 percent of participants were women, with the study also examining social mobility and life satisfaction. After one year, women who received bicycles were found to have increased their life satisfaction by 11% compared to the control group who were not provided with bicycles, which WBR describe as “leading to greater self-esteem and decision-making power within households”.
After two years, women with bicycles were found to generate 43 percent more in monthly business revenue than women without.
Over the course of the study, WBR estimate that for every £1 invested in bicycle provision, it amounts to a return on investment of £14.70, measured not only in increased household incomes, but also higher rates of school attendance, and increased accessibility of healthcare.
IDinsight’s Junior Economist Kashif Ahmed, who produced the report on behalf of the WBR and analysed the findings, said “A nearly 15-to-1 return on investment places bicycles alongside the most impactful anti-poverty programs, delivering lasting social and economic benefits at a fraction of the cost.
“For policymakers and funders seeking scalable, evidence-based approaches, bicycles represent a proven, high-value solution.”
It’s not the first time that the bicycle has been seen as a key tool of social mobility, and the findings have also been echoed in the UK.
A Sport England-commissioned report last month found that the trial of distributing bikes for free in the most deprived areas of the country substantially improved people’s health, wellbeing and social mobility.
That study, endorsed by the Active Wellbeing Society, found an economic return of investment of £11.80 for every £1. Those trials also included “wraparound support” of bike lessons, maintenance and group rides free of charge.
-1024x680.jpg "“Clear anti-cyclist bias”: Lawsuit filed against Toronto police after cop doored cyclist… before ticketing rider over incident")
3 thoughts on “Earning more, eating better and environmentally resilient: the impact of the bicycle in the developing world shown in new study”
WBR has had some of my money
WBR has had some of my money over the years and I’m delighted to see that the beneifts are real. I’m sure someone will moan about the methodology and complain that you can prove anything with statistics; yes you can, even the truth.
Yes, these seemed good.
Yes, these seemed good. (I guess we’ll see with the newer two-chain bike…)
Providing things from the outside is fraught with traps *. However they seem to have grasped a good idea – providing things that are not just suitable to local conditions, not just maintainable and repairable there, but hopefully will actually facilitate local jobs and even innovation. So machine shops can build and sell their own accessories or upgrades) etc.
* Teaching someone how to fish is better than giving them a fish etc. And best would be asking about their food needs and current challenges first!
Then see if we have any experience that might be relevant and helpful, and provide that to local people, researchers and educators in a way that allows them to find solutions which work for them. And hopefully avoids them getting trapped into further dependency on richer places or a race to chase after them which will further increase inequality.
I think the likes of Practical Action now focus on facilitating peer networking and information exchange between less well-off places rather than just “we know / can find out and tell you how from over here”.
It’s a 1400 person, two year,
It’s a 1400 person, two year, RCT. I have not read the paper to know what exactly they did (and yes, I am qualified to understand this kind of study), but that does sound like a promising methodology.