Brazil Transport Survey Phase Ii Volume 15 Highway Studies For Region B Rio De Janeiro Espirito Santo

Author : Otto Vergara Filho
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 1014 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (555 download)

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Download or read book Highway improvement and regional development, with special reference to agriculture written by Otto Vergara Filho and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 1014 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The general objective of this study was to better understand the role of a major road improvement on the development of the agricultural sector of a regional economy, and to learn more about the process by which investments of this k i n d a f f e c t t h e agricultural sector . The research involved a case study of the impact of paving a major inter-city highway -- the BR-116 or Rio-Bahia road in Brazil. The study differentiates itself from most other analyses of road impacts in that it attempts to trace through the impact of the road irnprovement in an ex post context rather than from"'the usual ex ante view. A multi-pronged approach to the problem was taken. First an analysis was made of the effect of the road improvement on agricultural output, with major attention given to the differential impact over the study regian. Secand, an attempt was made to identify the changes in the industrial sector associated with the road improvement. Third, an analysis was made of factors affecting the location decision of industrial firms in the region in order to provide perspective on the role that an improvement in the road might have on this sector. And finally, an analysis was made of other factors which might either be associated with the road improvement, or be the result of' it. These other factors included the population of the region, employment, the consumption of electric energy, vehicular flow, and the expansion of the agricultural extension service. The main part of the research design consisted of comparing changes in a set of municípios through which the road passed (an experimental group) with the changes in a set of municípios located off the main highway (a control group). The road was divided into three stretches: Stretch. 1, the part located nearest to the city of Rio de Janeiro: stretch 2, the middle section of the road; and Stretch 3, the part of the road located nearest to the city of Salvador in Bahia. The purpose of this division intc stretches was to determine if there was a differential effect associated with distance trem major urban centers. The research indicated that the road improvement had an important effect on the region, and was a stimulus to the agricultural sector. The impetus to the agricultural sector is a result of both direct and indirect effects, with the latter coming largely through changes in the industrial sector and shifts in population. The road improvement appeared to cause an increase in agricultural output in the study region. The response was quite differentiated over the study region, however, and was different for the livestock sector than for the crop sector. With the exception of hog numbers, livestock output tended to increase more in the municipios through which the road passed than in the municipos located off the road. In addition, livestock production increased more in Stretch 2 of the road than in Stretches 1 and 3. The crop sector, on the other hand, tended to have larger increases in output in the municípios located off the road. In addition, the largest relative increases in out-put tended to be concentrated in Stretch 3. The net effect of the changes in both the livestock and crop sectors was an intensification of agricultural production. Major impetus was given to dairy production, and this is a high value enterprise. Crop activities expanded in the municípios located off the highway, and this was probably at the expense of extensive beef enterprises. Associaled with this expansion of the crop sector was an increase in hog production. Crop yields also tended to increase, although for the most part these were swamped by the expansions in area planted. The road improvement appeared to have important effects on the industrial sector, and for the most part in directions that provide a further stimulus to the agricultural sector. There was an increase in the rate at which new plants were established in the region, and the industrial sector became much more oriented toward raw materials which were for the most part agricultural products. Transportation services and facilities were found to have an important role in the location decision. When the plant managers of firms in the region were asked to list the primary attractions of the study region, they ranked transport services high, together with expanding markets. The answers to other questions in the questionnaire clarified the role of transportation in facilitating access to markets and raw materials, and to understanding factors affecting the location decision. The road improvement, as well as the construction of the road at an earlier date, appeared to have had an important effect on population flows within, to, and from the study region. These phenomena were studied in a somewhat larger time dimension than the other aspects of the study. and provided some perspective on the longer term changes taking place in the region. Finally, there was some evidente that the road improvement induced an expansion of the agricultural extension service into the region. However, there appears to be a spatial lag associated with this expansion.