Transport Infrastructure, Spatial Inequalities, and Agricultural Market Integration in Benin: An Analysis Based on Departmental Data

Abstract

This article analyzes the impact of transport infrastructure on agricultural market integration and spatial inequalities in Benin. The data comes from the National Institute of Statistics and Demography (INSTaD) of Benin, collected between November 2025 and January 2026 from a sample of 1,920 households distributed across the country's twelve departments. It employs a spatial econometric model of the SDM type. The results show that transport infrastructure significantly improves agricultural market integration (β = 0.41; p < 0.01), while transport costs (β = -0.52; p < 0.01) and distance to the market (β = -0.37; p < 0.01) reduce it. Road density has a positive effect (β = 0.29; p < 0.01) on household economic performance. The results reveal strong spatial dependence between departments (ρ = 0.36; p < 0.01), as well as significant spatial spillover effects (W×X). Moran's test indicates spatial autocorrelation of the residuals (0.18; p = 0.002). Overall, agricultural markets are spatially heterogeneous and interconnected.