Assessment of road network development and its influence on cereal and cash crop production in Okhaldhunga District of Nepal | |
| Author | Sharma, Rajesh |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.RD-16-07 |
| Subject(s) | Road users--Nepal Agriculture--Transportation--Nepal |
| Note | 113 p. : ill. |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. RD-16-07 |
| Abstract | Key objectives of the research were to assess road network development in terms of road connectivity and accessibility and to assess its effect on primary sector especially on selected crop production.Both connectivity and accessibility were measured based on time series data to evaluateif there is any change due to changes in road length and density. Connectivity is the degree of connection between all pairs of functional centers.Accessibility on the other hand is an indicator which measures an ease of access among opportunities distributed over space. Further, the study was conducted to measure effects on primary sector using selected variables on crop production in sample areas of the study district.Graph theory was used to measure connectivity using three different connectivity indicators. Spatial analysis was used to evaluate the accessibility situation in district level using isochrones buffers. Variables based on walking distance from settlements to the nearest road head were operationalized. To measure the effect of transport development, two areas were selected based on accessibility analysis as accessible area and remote area. Transport development effect on accessible area (experimental group) was measured with respect to remote area as a control group. A questionnaire survey was used to collect relevant data related to crop production with a total of 108 sample household respondents. The study found that, in general the road length and density are positively associated with connectivity. But in particular case it is not always true. Connectivity does not only depend on road length and density, but also depend on location of roads and its nature of the connection; for example, whether the road is enhancing existing graph by creating alternative routes or creating a new graph; and whether the road is connecting existing nodes or creating additional dead-ends. On the other hand, it was found that the road length and density are positively associated with accessibility. Development of such network has positive effect on agriculture. With the help of selected crop production scenario, measured agriculture development found to be relatively better in the accessible area than in the remote area. Though it is clear that only road infrastructure is not the determinant of agricultural development and is largely varies based on the cost of production, irrigation facilities, applied technology, agriculture credit, market mechanisms, farm size and above all it is highly depends on agriculture policy under consideration. Yet this study showedthat if not sufficient condition, the road infrastructure is at least a necessary condition and it’s a precondition for agriculture development.The first recommendation is to revise existing District Transport Master Plan (DTMP)processes and incorporate connectivity parameters as one of the prioritization factors. The second recommendation is to review the measure of accessibility criteria set by Government of Nepal (GoN) to bring the majority of the population to the proximity of road network. The third recommendation is to give special importance to those areas which have been found as less connected and as less accessible areas, to improve road networks. The fourth recommendation is to upgrade existing earthen roads to paved roads, ensuring year around vehicle operation. The last recommendation is to improve quality and quantity of transport services |
| Year | 2016 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. RD-16-07 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development |
| Department | Department of Development and Sustainability (DDS) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Rural Development, Gender and Resources (RD) |
| Chairperson(s) | Routray, Jayant Kumar; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Ahmad, Mokbul Morshed; Santoso, Djoen San; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Joint Japan/World Bank GraduateScholarship Program (JJ/WBGSP); Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship; |
| Degree | Thesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2016 |