Crop Production and Road Connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa : A Spatial Analysis

This study examines the relationship between transport infrastructure and agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa using new data obtained from geographic information systems (GIS). First, the authors analyze the impact of road connectivity on crop production and choice of technology. Second, they explore the impact of investments that reduce road travel times. Finally, they show how this type of analysis can be used to compare cost-benefit ratios for alternative road investments in terms of agricultural output per dollar invested. The authors find that agricultural production is highly correlated with proximity (as measured by travel time) to urban markets. Likewise, adoption of high-productive/high-input technology is negatively correlated with travel time to urban centers. There is therefore substantial scope for increasing agricultural production in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in more remote areas. Total crop production relative to potential production is 45 percent for areas within four hours travel time from a city of 100,000 people. In contrast, it is just 5 percent for areas more than eight hours away. Low population densities and long travel times to urban centers sharply constrain production. Reducing transport costs and travel times to these areas would expand the feasible market size for these regions. Compared to West Africa, East Africa has lower population density, smaller local markets, lower road connectivity, and lower average crop production per unit area. Unlike in East Africa, reducing travel time does not significantly increase the adoption of high-input/high-yield technology in West Africa. This may be because West Africa already has a relatively well-connected road network.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Dorosh, Paul, Wang, Hyoung-Gun, You, Liang, Schmidt, Emily
Language:	English
Published:	2010-07-01
Subjects:	ACCESS TO MARKETS, ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY, ACCESSIBILITY, AGGLOMERATION ECONOMIES, AGGREGATE SUPPLY, AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, AGRICULTURAL INPUTS, AGRICULTURAL LAND, AGRICULTURAL LAND-USE, AGRICULTURAL OUTPUT, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, AGRICULTURAL SECTOR, AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS, AGRICULTURE, ARABLE LAND, ATTAINABLE YIELDS, AVERAGE TRAVEL TIME, BARLEY, BEANS, BIOMASS, CALORIC CONSUMPTION, CALORIES PER DAY, CAPITA INCOMES, CASH CROPS, CASSAVA, CEREAL CROPS, CEREALS, CLIMATE, COCOA, COFFEE, COFFEE PRODUCTION, CONNECTED ROAD NETWORK, CONSUMER PRICES, COTTON, COTTON GROUNDNUTS, CROP, CROP AREA, CROP CATEGORIES, CROP DEMAND, CROP DISTRIBUTION, CROP LAND, CROP OUTPUT, CROP PRICES, CROP PRODUCERS, CROP PRODUCTION, CROP SUITABILITY, CROP SUPPLY, CROPPING, CROPPING SYSTEMS, CROPS, CROSSING, CULTIVATION, DEMAND CURVE, DEMAND FOR FOOD, DOMESTIC FOOD, DOMESTIC FOOD PRODUCTION, DRY BEANS, ECOLOGICAL ZONES, ECONOMETRIC ANALYSIS, ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY, ECONOMIES OF SCALE, ELASTICITIES, ELASTICITIES OF DEMAND, ELASTICITY, ELASTICITY OF DEMAND, ELASTICITY OF SUPPLY, ELASTICITY OF TRAVEL, EQUATIONS, EXOGENOUS VARIABLES, EXPORT CROPS, EXTERNALITIES, FAO, FARM, FARM INCOMES, FARMERS, FARMING, FARMING SYSTEM, FARMS, FEEDER ROADS, FERTILIZER, FIBERS, FODDER, FOOD CONSUMPTION, FOOD CROP, FOOD CROPS, FOOD DEMAND, FOOD IMPORTS, FOOD POLICY, FOOD PRODUCTION, FOOD SUPPLY, GDP, GLOBAL FOOD, GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT, GROUNDNUTS, HOUSEHOLD INCOMES, HOUSING, IFPRI, IMPACT OF TRANSPORT, IMPACTS ON CROP PRODUCTION, INCOME GENERATION, INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENTS, INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INVESTMENT IN ROADS, IRRIGATION, LABOR DEMAND, LAND RESOURCES, LAND SIZE, LAND USE, MAIZE, MAIZE PRODUCTION, MARGINAL BENEFITS, MARGINAL COST, MARGINAL PRODUCTIVITY, MILLET, OIL CROPS, OPTIMIZATION, PER CAPITA INCOMES, PESTICIDE, POPULATION DENSITIES, POPULATION DENSITY, POSITIVE EXTERNALITIES, POTENTIAL YIELDS, PRICE DISTORTIONS, PRICE ELASTICITIES, PRICE ELASTICITY, PRICE ELASTICITY OF DEMAND, PRICE ELASTICITY OF SUPPLY, PRICE INCREASES, PRODUCE, PRODUCER INCENTIVES, PRODUCTION FUNCTION, PRODUCTION GAINS, PRODUCTION INCREASES, PRODUCTION SYSTEM, PRODUCTION SYSTEMS, PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY, PULSES, REDUCTION IN TRAVEL, REGIONAL PATTERNS, REGIONAL PRODUCTION, REGRESSION ANALYSIS, REMOTE AREAS, REMOTE REGION, REMOTE REGIONS, RICE, ROAD, ROAD COSTS, ROAD IMPROVEMENT, ROAD INFORMATION, ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE, ROAD QUALITY, ROAD TYPE, ROOT CROPS, RURAL AREAS, RURAL ECONOMY, RURAL HOUSEHOLD, RURAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME, RURAL INCOME, RURAL INCOME GENERATION, RURAL MIGRATION, RURAL REMOTENESS, RURAL ROAD, RURAL ROADS, SORGHUM, SOYBEAN, SPATIAL ALLOCATION, SPATIAL ANALYSIS, SPATIAL APPROACH, SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION, SPATIAL VARIATIONS, STATISTICAL DATA, SUBSISTENCE, SUBSISTENCE CROP, SUGAR, SUGAR BEETS, SUGARCANE, SUPPLY CURVE, SWEET POTATO, SYSTEMS ANALYSIS, TRANSPORT, TRANSPORT COSTS, TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT INVESTMENTS, TRANSPORTATION, TRAVEL SPEED, TRAVEL SPEEDS, TRAVEL TIME, TRAVEL TIMES, TYPES OF ROADS, UNEP, UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME, VEGETABLES, WAGES, WHEAT, YIELDS,
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20100728133128 https://hdl.handle.net/10986/3869
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