Temporal accessibility and freight generation of agricultural products: An empirical study in Colombia

Abstract

This paper explores the relationship between accessibility and agricultural production through a strategic freight transport model based on product analysis. Like most freight demand models applied in practice, we use an aggregate modeling approach. Zoning, infrastructure networks, and socioeconomic and nationwide agricultural data were adapted from the Colombian Strategic Freight Transportation model and the National Agricultural Survey. Data was stored, displayed, managed, and analyzed using a Geographic Information System. Three accessibility indicators entering the freight generation model are tested. The temporal accessibility index is the best-performing accessibility measure for the case study conducted in Colombia. The models exhibit that accessibility positively affects freight generation, proving a solid link between temporal accessibility and agricultural production. When using the models to predict the impact of new transport infrastructure projects, changes in agricultural production were not highly significant.