fjds_a_1430772_sm7718.pdf (209.95 kB)
Roads and Rural Development in Sub-Saharan Africa
Version 2 2019-09-26, 07:46
Version 1 2018-02-24, 09:40
journal contribution
posted on 2019-09-26, 07:46 authored by Claudia N. Berg, CLAUDIA N. BERG, Brian Blankespoor, Harris SelodThis 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.