ASSESSMENT OF THE CONTRIBUTION OF MULLO WOREDA RURAL ROAD: A LOCAL COMMUNITY PERCEPTION

Abstract

Rural areas in developing countries do not have a minimum of reliable and efficient access to roads. They are also characterized by poor socioeconomic transformations. The relationship between rural roads and socio-economic development is still one of the major research fields in developing countries. This study, therefore, aimed to identify the socio-economic contribution of rural roads. The study adopted a “before and after” approach to assess the socio-economic impact of rural roads. Primary data were collected from 120 sample households using survey questionnaire and interview which was designed to generate a data on some household, farm and institutional characteristics that are related to road users in Oromia Regional State at Mullo woreda. Descriptive statistics were applied to describe, compare and contrast different categories of sample units with respect to the desired characteristics. As observed from the results, before the road was constructed, it was often difficult for pedestrians and animals to pass due to low-lying swampy areas and there was no access for motorized vehicles. Now the travel time has been reduced from over an hour to 10- 15 minutes. After the construction of the road, a large number of pedestrians and animal carts as well as some motorized vehicles are used. In other words, the construction of the road is improved the day to day activity of households in the study area. As far as the average time taken to reach the main destinations using different modes of transport is concerned, it takes travelers below 30 minutes to reach farm land, fetch water, school, and nearest health center by walking. Based on the analysis made the average time taken (in minutes) to reach the main destination by means of transport used is improved after the construction of the road. There is also a significant positive correlation between distance to nearest road and distance to nearest schools, health centers and water sources. The study found overall positive social impacts after the construction of the road compared to before the road indicating that road accessibility crowds in other basic social services. Generally,in order to ensure the maximum impact of rural roads in the coming years, current constraints to agricultural production and productivity should be improved.