Rural development perceptions between farmers and policy executors in the Tequendama Province (Cundinamarca, Colombia)

• Main Authors: Fabio Alberto Pachón-Ariza, María Nelly Argüello-Blanco
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Centro Editorial of Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Colombia 2010-12-01
• Series: Agronomía Colombiana
• Subjects: revaloración del sector rural; multifuncionalidad; pluriactividad; políticas públicas rurales
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.org.co/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0120-99652010000300022&lng=en&tlng=en

This paper presents the results of the perceptions of rural development between farmers who are part of the Nuclei of Rural Entrepreneurs in the Tequendama Province of the department of Cundinamarca (Colombia), as well as between public and private personnel who execute rural policies in this region. The results show that among respondents there is confusion between the concept of rural development and agrarian development, given their answers are oriented to privileging productivity, modernization, and technology aspects, above those who place the inhabitants of the rural sector as first. This confusion could be explained in that during the 1950s it was thought that rural development had to be oriented toward issues that claim the rural sector economic activity, regardless of its inhabitants and their cultural aspects, values and dignity. This aspect shows the need to reassess the meaning of the rural environment and its importance for the nation's development