Isolation contributes to rural poverty.Without a minimum of reliable and efficient access tolocations of basic social and economic activities, rurallife stagnates and local development prospects remainlimited. Providing and maintaining a minimum level ofaccess, referred to in this paper as basic access, istherefore a necessary element of any rural developmentstrategy. Overcoming isolation necessitates holisticstrategies. Approaches include improved logistics to supporttrade and communication, the promotion of transport servicesand intermediaite means of transport, improved quality andlocation of services, and the sustaianable provision ofcost-effective transport infrastrucutre. Among these, thecost-effective design and appraisal of rural transportinfrastructure (RTI) is the topic of this paper. A basicaccess approach to the provision of RTI is presented whichgives priority to the provision and maintenance of reliable,all-season access. Basic access interventions are defined asthe least-cost investments which provide a minimum level ofall-season passability. In a majority of cases, this meanssingle-lane, spot-improved earth or gravel roads. Insituations where motorized basic access is not affordable,improvement of the existing path network and theconstruction of footbridges may be the only alternative.resources are scarce. Therefore the basic access approachshould only employ the most appropriate and cost-effective interventions.
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