Roads and Rural Development in Sub-Saharan Africa

This paper assesses the relationship between access to markets and land cultivation in sub-Saharan Africa. Using a geo-referenced panel over four decades (1970–2010) during which the road network was significantly improved, we find a modest impact of improved market accessibility on local cropland e...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Berg, Claudia N., Blankespoor, Brian, Selod, Harris
Format: Journal Article
Published: Taylor and Francis 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29662
Description
Summary:This paper assesses the relationship between access to markets and land cultivation in sub-Saharan Africa. Using a geo-referenced panel over four decades (1970–2010) during which the road network was significantly improved, we find a modest impact of improved market accessibility on local cropland expansion – especially in places that are exposed to better agricultural production conditions – as well as suggestive evidence of an increase in the local intensity of cultivation. Suggestive evidence of a positive association between improved market accessibility and local GDP growth beyond the impact of cropland expansion could reflect the stimulation of non-agricultural activities.