The State of Rural Transport and Development: a Review of Progress, Challenges and Lessons

1. The State of Rural Transport and Development: a Review of Progress, Challenges and Lessons MAINSTREAMING RURAL TRAVEL AND TRANSPORT (RTT) IN UNIVERSITY CURRICULA by Tatenda Mbara Senior Lecturer Department of Rural and Urban Planning University of Zimbabwe

2. Presentation Overview • Introduction • Why mainstream RTT? • How can mainstreaming be achieved? • Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Conclusions

3. Introduction • Access to basic, social and economic services is of paramount importance in the development process • Poor access is considered to be a development problem that can be addressed by the provision of primary and secondary roads • Transport provides rural people with access to a range of goods and services that they require to meet their daily needs • However, the extent to which rural households require to travel is dictated primarily by the access they have to services and facilities required to sustain daily life

4. Introduction • The level of distribution and access to services is one of the important determinants of their transport demand • Clearly, investments in conventional transport systems may not necessarily improve peoples accessibility for goods and services • Interventions to improve rural peoples accessibility can be effective if it is focused at the local level • The design of any curricula on rural transport need to take the above issues into consideration

5. Why mainstream RTT? • In developing countries, a greater proportion of people live in rural areas Source: Africa Development Indicators (2004)

6. Why mainstream RTT? • Generally poor people with low disposable incomes live in rural areas Source: World Development Report (2005)

7. Why mainstream RTT? • Poor transport infrastructure Source: Africa Development Indicators (2005)

8. Why mainstream RTT? Perceptions on Rural Transport

9. Why mainstream RTT? “Most science curriculum innovations seem to have their origins and emphasis in urban intellectual concerns….”(Nagarai & Satheesh 1988) in Teaching of Science & Technology in Rural Areas “Our education system presents advanced technology as the answer to all transport problems … “ J Howe in GTZ Transport Working Paper, Rural Transport and sustainability, Minutes of meeting of seminar held on 6 July 1998

10. Why mainstream RTT? • Hitherto, focus on transport development has been concentrated in urban areas • Travel and transport patterns and burden in urban areas differ substantially with those in rural areas • With such differences, approaches may not be the same • With the majority of people living in rural areas, there is need to focus on the significance of rural transport

11. How can mainstreaming be achieved? • At the outset, there is need to state that the teaching of RTT at academic institutions is a grey area • RTT is a side issue which sometimes is mentioned in passing or not at all • It therefore needs to be brought in the mainstream of university curricula

12. How can mainstreaming be achieved? • RTT can be incorporated into the following University Departments: - Planning Department - Engineering Department - Geography Department - Transport Planning/Studies Department

13. How can mainstreaming be achieved? • The following activities are critical: - Research - Publications - Conducting seminars - Field visits - Building partnerships

14. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Department of Rural and Urban Planning at the University of Zimbabwe offers a four year degree course • Transport Planning is an option taught in the third and fourth years • Every year about 10-15 students out of 35 students opt for the Transport Planning course • A Rural Travel and Transport Module was introduced in 1999 within the existing Transport Planning course

15. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Initial funding of USD8 000 was provided by ILO to pay for the following activities: - Course development - Field trip for course students to a Rural District Council where local level access interventionswere implemented - Invited guest lecturers - A one day seminar on “Reducing the rural travel and transport burden” - Supporting 4 students (3 undergraduate and 1 postgraduate) in collecting data for their dissertations

16. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Course Objectives: - Appreciate the magnitude of problems associated with rural travel and transport and the importance of enhancing rural accessibility in order to alleviate poverty - Gain an understanding of the characteristics and nature of rural travel and transport as well as the role and impacts of infrastructure and the different means of transport that can be used in rural areas - Gain analytical skills on how rural transport problems can be addressed by applying appropriate planning tools e.g. Integrated Rural Accessibility Planning (IRAP). - Gain an appreciation of the significance of cross-cutting issues in rural transport

17. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Themes: - Theoretical grounding - Rural transport services - Rural Transport infrastructure - Rural transport planning tools - Cross-cutting issues

18. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Theoretical grounding: - Characteristics of rural areas - Theoretical perspectives on rural development - Approaches to poverty alleviation - Limitations of conventional approaches to rural transport provision

19. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Rural transport services: - Overview of types and performance on non- motorised means of transport - Strategies to promote non motorised transport in rural areas (Cite case studies) - Corridors, hubs and satellites – Improving service delivery in rural areas (Cite case studies) - An overview of rural public transport services

20. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Rural Transport infrastructure: - Institutional and funding regime for rural transport infrastructure - Prioritisation of rural transport infrastructure - Role of labour-intensive methods in rural transport infrastructure provision and maintenance - Case examples on Labour based methods

21. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Rural transport planning tools: - Approaches/methodologies used in assessing role of transport in support of rural livelihoods - Integrated Rural Accessibility Planning (IRAP)

22. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Cross-cutting issues: - Safety in rural areas - Special needs groups - Transport and gender - Capacity building and its implications on rural transport provision

23. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Course Output: - Development of a course module - A trained cadre that is able to influence thinking and policy on rural transport matters - Improved understanding of RTT issues achieved by the seminar and through research (A number of dissertations were produced) - Production of papers (workshop and conference papers) - A close partnership forged with relevant institutions/organisations

24. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Examples of dissertations produced • An analysis on the logistics of delivery of horticultural produce from rural to urban areas (2) An assessment of the travel and transport burden on rural women and girls in Insiza Rural District (3) As assessment of the impacts of IMTs in Bangwe and Musirizwi wards of Chipinge district

25. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Examples of dissertations produced (4) An assessment of food distribution and accessibility in communal areas during 2002/3 drought year (5) A critical analysis of public transport needs for people with a mobility handicap (6) Gender travel characteristics in urban areas

26. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Examples of refereed, conference and workshop papers produced: Njenga, P & Mbara T.C,Repositioning the rural transport and development agenda: Challenges for Eastern and Southern Africa, Paper presented at the SATC conference, Pretoria, South Africa, 7 - 10 July 2008. Mbara, T C, The significance of local level rural transport infrastructure provision in poverty alleviation, Paper presented at a workshop on Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Africa: The role of transport, Cornell University 5-6 May 2007 Bryceson, D F, Maunder, D A C, Mbara T C& Davis A, Livelihoods, daily mobility and poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, Transport Reviews, Volume 23, No. 2, 2003

27. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Examples of refereed, conference and workshop papers produced: Mbara T C & Lema C, Community centred investment in basic rural access interventions: an entry point to poverty alleviation, Paper presented at the 10th Regional Seminar for Labour Based Practitioners, 13th – 17th October 2003, Arusha, Tanzania Mbara T C, Integrated Rural Accessibility Planning (IRAP): principles and experiences in Africa Paper presented at the Experience sharing Workshop on “Participatory Planning and Implementation for Rural Access”, Morogoro, Tanzania 27-30 May 2004 Bryceson, D F & Mbara T C, Petrol pumps and economic slumps: rural-urban movement in Zimbabwe’s globalization process, Journal of Economic and Social Geography, Volume 94, No. 3, 2003.

28. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Examples of refereed, conference and workshop papers produced: Mbara T c & Chiyaka O, Mobility, livelihoods and the reality of rural-urban linkages, Paper presented at the Communal Lands Development Project (CLDP), St Lucia Park, 20-21 August 2002 Mbara T C, Cycling: an appropriate response to an economic crisis, Paper presented at a Velocity conference, Edinburgh/Glasgow, 17-21 September 2001 Mbara T C, Integrated Rural Accessibility Planning (IRAP) and identification of access needs, Paper presented at an Integrated Development Planning workshop, OTD, St Lucia Park, 27-29 June 2001.

29. Case Example – RTT at University of Zimbabwe • Challenges to overcome: - Possible resistance from academic committees who due to wrong perceptions, may not see the relevance of the course - Paucity of sufficiently trained academics in the area of Transport Planning/RTT - Lack of financial resources to kick start and sustain the course

30. Conclusions • The teaching of RTT at academic institutions is a grey area • Mainstreaming RTT in University curricula is important to dispense misconceptions about the superiority of conventional transport • Introducing RTT within University curricula has long term benefits in influencing policy • There is need to inaugurate an academic Centre of Excellence which addresses Rural Travel and Transport issues [Personal view]

31. Thank You