Abstract
The objective of this study was to examine the importance of managing and maintaining the quality of rural roads to support agricultural and rural development in the Kingdom of Swaziland, to facilitate the distribution of agricultural products and its accessibility to the population. A structured questionnaire survey was used to collect both secondary and primary data sources, to fill the key information gaps through random sampling method. The data collected were tabulated and analysed through Excel programme on the Microsoft programme. The findings revealed that local residents were not exposed to new and dynamic flow of opportunities that can enhance their livelihood by providing them with better access to education, medical facilities and markets through rural roads. The study concluded that rural roads are critical in supporting both rural and agricultural development for improved socio economic conditions of the people.
Highlights
Without physical access, rural communities face obstacles in social services delivery such as health, education, and related social services (Escobal & Ponce, 2002)
According to FAO (2000), the available data on food supply and requirements in Swaziland estimated to be in deficit
The agricultural sector in Swaziland needs to change by tackling road infrastructures
Summary
Rural communities face obstacles in social services delivery such as health, education, and related social services (Escobal & Ponce, 2002). Evidence suggests that rural communities can be mobilised to manage and maintain their access roads if some financial incentives and an appropriate legal framework are made available by the government (IFRTD, 2006). Mobility defines the way in which people can access goods and services. One of the ways to make services more accessible is by making people more mobile through roads (ADB, 2006). Accessibility defines how easy or difficult is it to get to a place. A place is accessible when people can reach there in an acceptable time, and the risk of not getting there on time would be heavy (Tighe, 2006)
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