AThe disappointing results of many conventional road transport projects in Africa led some experts to rethink the strategy by which rural transport problems were to be tackled at the beginning of the 1980s. A request for help in improving the availability of transport within the remote Makete District of south- western Tanzania presented the opportunity to try a new approach.

[p:a]20世纪80年代初，非洲许多传统公路运输项目取得的令人失望的结果促使一些专家重新思考解决农村交通问题的战略。当时，坦桑尼亚西南部偏远的马凯特地区请求援助，以改善当地交通条件，这为尝试一种新方法提供了契机。在研究该地区农村家庭交通需求的过程中，人们采纳了“综合农村交通”这一理念，旨在通过改善农村交通系统，减少获取基本生活物资和服务所需的时间和精力。其基本假设是，节省下来的时间可用于开展有助于提升社区社会经济发展的各项活动。马凯特综合农村交通项目（MIRTP）于1985年启动，获得瑞士发展公司资金支持，并在坦桑尼亚政府的协助下协调实施。

The concept of 'integrated rural transport' was adopted in the task of examining the transport needs of the rural households in the district. The objective was to reduce the time and effort needed to obtain access to essential goods and services through an improved rural transport system. The underlying assumption was that the time saved would be used instead for activities that would improve the social and economic development of the communities. The Makete Integrated Rural Transport Project (MIRTP) started in 1985 with financial support from the Swiss Development Corporation and was co-ordinated with the help of the Tanzanian government.

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[p:b] 项目开始时，马凯特地区在雨季几乎完全与世隔绝。当地公路状况极差，每年大约三个月都无法进入主要城镇。区内道路交通极为稀少，其他交通工具仅限于北部地区的驴子。人们主要依靠小径出行，而这些小径在雨天时又湿滑危险。

B When the project began, Makete District was virtually totally isolated during the rainy season. The regional road was in such bad shape that access to the main towns was impossible for about three months of the year. Road traffic was extremely rare within the district, and alternative means of transport were restricted to donkeys in the north of the district. People relied primarily on the paths, which were slippery and dangerous during the rains.

在提出解决方案之前，必须先了解相关问题。当时人们对农村家庭的运输需求知之甚少，因此第一阶段（1985年12月至1987年12月）主要聚焦于研究工作。对本地区400多个家庭进行的社会经济调查表明，马凯特地区的每个家庭平均每天花费七小时用于搬运自身及货物，这一数字看似极端，但非洲其他农村地区的调查结果也显示了类似情况。调查还发现了一些有趣的交通现象：95%的运输是步行完成的；80%的运输发生在本地范围内；70%的运输与取水、采柴以及前往磨坊有关。

Before solutions could be proposed, the problems had to be understood. Little was known about the transport demands of the rural households, so Phase Ⅰ, between December 1985 and December 1987, focused on research. The socio-economic survey of more than 400 households in the district indicated that a household in Makete spent, on average, seven hours a day on transporting themselves and their goods, a figure which seemed extreme but which has also been obtained in surveys in other rural areas in Africa. Interesting facts regarding transport were found: 95% was on foot; 80% was within the locality; and 70% was related to the collection of water and firewood and travelling to grinding mills.

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[p:c] 在确定了主要交通需求后，识别出了一些可能减少时间和负担的解决方案。在第二阶段（1991年1月至2月），实施了多种措施，以改善交通出行和交通可达性。

C Having determined the main transport needs, possible solutions were identified which might reduce the time and burden. During Phase Ⅱ, from January to February 1991, a number of approaches were implemented in an effort to improve mobility and access to transport.

为确保该地区货物的进出口，认为有必要改善道路网络。这些改善工作采用了大量依赖人工的方法进行。除了道路的改善外，这些方法还提供了机械车间操作以及公交和卡车服务的培训。然而，与传统方式不同的是，这次还特别考虑了道路网络之外的本地交通需求。

An improvement of the road network was considered necessary to ensure the import and export of goods to the district. These improvements were carried out using methods that were heavily dependent on labour. In addition to the improvement of roads, these methods provided training in the operation of a mechanical workshop and bus and truck services. However, the difference from the conventional approach was that this time consideration was given to local transport needs outside the road network.

大多数货物都是沿着通往山坡上下的捷径运输的，但这些小路存在严重的安全隐患，使徒步旅行变得更加困难。因此，通过修建台阶、扶手和人行天桥来改善这些道路是十分合理的。

Most goods were transported along the paths that provide short-cuts up and down the hillsides, but the paths were a real safety risk and made the journey on foot even more arduous. It made sense to improve the paths by building steps, handrails and footbridges.

在当时，很难找到比步行更高效但技术上不如机动车辆的交通工具。自行车的使用受到高昂价格和缺乏可用零部件的限制。牛完全未被使用，只有该地区北部少数家庭使用驴子。MIRTP项目根据当地居民的实际条件、经济承受能力和可接受程度，重点考虑了最合适的解决方案。经过慎重评估，该项目决定推广驴子——因为驴子的价格低于自行车——并推出一种可本地制造的手推车。

It was uncommon to find means of transport that were more efficient than walking but less technologically advanced than motor vehicles. The use of bicycles was constrained by their high cost and the lack of available spare parts. Oxen were not used at all but donkeys were used by a few households in the northern part of the district. MIRTP focused on what would be most appropriate for the inhabitants of Makete in terms of what was available, how much they could afford and what they were willing to accept. After careful consideration, the project chose the promotion of donkeys - a donkey costs less than a bicycle- and the introduction of a locally manufacturable wheelbarrow.

[p:d] 在第二阶段结束时，显然所选定的解决马凯特交通问题的方法取得了不同程度的成功。第三阶段从1991年3月持续到1993年3月，重点在于完善和制度化这些工作。

D At the end of Phase Ⅱ, it was clear that the selected approaches to Makete's transport problems had had different degrees of success. Phase Ⅲ, from March 1991 to March 1993, focused on the refinement and institutionalisation of these activities.

道路改善及配套的维护系统使该地区中心全年都便于通行。来自区外的必需品在市场上的供应更加充足，价格也比以往波动更小。

The road improvements and accompanying maintenance system had helped make the district centre accessible throughout the year. Essential goods from outside the district had become more readily available at the market, and prices did not fluctuate as much as they had done before.

只有在愿意参与建设和维护的社区提出请求后，才对小路和次要道路进行了改善。然而，这些改善后的道路令当地居民印象深刻，仅仅完成几处改善后不久，便迅速出现了大量求助请求。

Paths and secondary roads were improved only at the request of communities who were willing to participate in construction and maintenance. However, the improved paths impressed the inhabitants, and requests for assistance greatly increased soon after only a few improvements had been completed.

为提高现有交通服务效率所做的努力并未取得太大成效，因为该地区大多数机动车辆都出现故障，且缺乏维修资源。由于当地普遍贫困，即使引入低成本交通工具也面临困难。本地制造的手推车价格仍过高，只有少数家庭能够负担。当地木匠对原有设计进行了改进，缩短了生产时间和降低了成本。其他木匠也接受了新设计的培训，以便能够满足市场需求。然而，在马凯特地区，一款本地生产的木质手推车售价约为5000坦桑尼亚先令（不到20美元），价格仅为金属手推车的四分之一，但对大多数人来说仍然过于昂贵。

The efforts to improve the efficiency of the existing transport services were not very successful because most of the motorised vehicles in the district broke down and there were no resources to repair them. Even the introduction of low-cost means of transport was difficult because of the general poverty of the district. The locally manufactured wheelbarrows were still too expensive for all but a few of the households. Modifications to the original design by local carpenters cut production time and costs. Other local carpenters have been trained in the new design so that they can respond to requests. Nevertheless, a locally produced wooden wheelbarrow which costs around 5000Tanzanian shillings (less than US$20) in Makete, and is about one quarter the cost of a metal wheelbarrow, is still too expensive for most people.

被引进该地区的驴子已变得越来越普遍，尤其在农产品和货物运往市场方面发挥着重要作用。购买驴子的人主要来自富裕家庭，但随着本地繁殖数量的增加，驴子价格应会变得更加亲民。与此同时，当地居民也正在积极推动现有驴子的租赁使用。

Donkeys, which were imported to the district, have become more common and contribute, in particular, to the transportation of crops and goods to market. Those who have bought donkeys are mainly from richer households but, with an increased supply through local breeding, donkeys should become more affordable. Meanwhile, local initiatives are promoting the renting out of the existing donkeys.

然而需要指出的是，一头驴的价格仅为2万坦桑尼亚先令，不到一辆自行车的价格，但其价值仍相当于一个普通家庭半年的收入。这清楚地表明，若想帮助农村贫困人口，就必须采取补充措施。

It should be noted, however, that a donkey, which at 20,000Tanzanian shillings costs less than a bicycle, is still an investment equal to an average household's income over half a year. This clearly illustrates the need for supplementary measures if one wants to assist the rural poor.

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[p:e] 本可以轻易批评MIRTP在初期采用自上而下的方式，即由专家和官员做出决策后再传达给社区，但必须从区级政府机构的层面启动这一进程。若没有区级当局的支持与理解，要回应村民及其他农村居民的请求将十分困难。 [insert:30]

E It would have been easy to criticise the MIRTP for using in the early phases a'top-down' approach, in which decisions were made by experts and officials before being handed down to communities, but it was necessary to start the process from the level of the governmental authorities of the district. It would have been difficult to respond to the requests of villagers and other rural inhabitants without the support and understanding of district authorities.

[p:f] 如今，该地区无人再争论改善道路和廉价交通方式的重要性。但这正是长期不懈努力的成果，尤其是社区发展负责人所付出的辛勤工作。他们为提高农村居民的认知度和兴趣发挥了关键作用。

F Today, nobody in the district argues about the importance of improved paths and inexpensive means of transport. But this is the result of dedicated work over a long period, particularly from the officers in charge of community development. They played an essential role in raising awareness and interest among the rural communities.

综合农村交通的概念在坦桑尼亚已得到广泛认可，当地即将启动一项大型农村交通项目。马凯特的经验将有助于这一举措的实施，马凯特县也将作为未来工作的参考依据。

The concept of integrated rural transport is now well established in Tanzania, where a major program of rural transport is just about to start. The experiences from Makete will help in this initiative, and Makete District will act as a reference for future work.