At the end of the feeder road: Upgrading rural footpaths to motorcycle taxi-accessible tracks in Liberia
This study examines the socio-economic and technical impact of upgrading inter-village footpaths to render them usable by motorcycle taxis
Abstract
Over the last 20 years, most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have seen a dramatic change in farm-to-market transport following the introduction and spread of motorcycle taxis. What kind of infrastructure development is needed to further support this local revolution in farm transport? Our study uses a technographic frame to describe and assess the socio-economic and technical impact of upgrading inter-village footpaths to render them usable by motorcycle taxis in off-road rural northern Liberia. We gathered pre-intervention baseline data and post-intervention impact data over a three-year period in villages benefitting from the intervention and in control villages. The quantitative data were supplemented with qualitative data gathered prior, during and after the intervention. We found that upgrading rural footpaths to motorcycle taxi accessible tracks promotes market integration, improves access to education and health facilities, and creates jobs for rural youth, with few negative consequences.
This work is part of the Applied Research on Rural Roads and Transport Services through Community Access Programmes in Africa and Asia (AFCAP2 and AsCAP)
Citation
Jenkins, J., Peters, K. and Richards, P. (2020). At the end of the feeder road: Upgrading rural footpaths to motorcycle taxi-accessible tracks in Liberia. NJAS Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 92, paper 100333.