Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
1.HOWTOUNDERSTANDSUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENTINPERIPHERALRURALREGIONS?
23
developmentinthissphereareseentobeexceptionallywide-rangingandmulti-
faceted.Butheretheauthorseekstoengageinthemoresystematicorganization
ofcauseswhichhaveinherviewhelpeddeterminetheperipheralityofruralareas
oftheAndes,mostespeciallyinPeru.
TheperipheralityofruralareasintheAndes
SeveraldecadesofresearchandanalysesdevotedtoLatinAmericaallowthe
authortoarriveatcertainconclusionsregardingunderdevelopment,and
especiallythemarginalizationandperipheralityofruralareas.Whilethelistis
notexhaustive,andissubjective,itisgeneratedonthebasisofwhathasbeen
read,aswellasinterviewscarriedout.
Thecausesofunevendevelopmentneedtobelookedforamongfactorsofan
environmental,political,cultural,socialandfinallyalsoeconomic(ormore
correctlyatechnical)nature.Beyondthatitisclearthatitwouldbedifficultto
ascribedisparitiestotheimpactofanyoneofthesefactors.Thereareahostof
possibleandactualinteractionsandfeedbacksbetweenthefactorsmentionedthat
ensureeachregionauniqueimageingeneraltermsandasregardsspatial
management.
Thenaturalenvironmentoffersopportunitiesfordevelopment,withcondi-
tionsdifferentateachlocationensuringadiversityofformsofagriculturaluse
aroundtheworld.Theinhabitantsofruralregionstendtomakeoptimaluseofthe
environmentalconditionstheyareexposedtoastheyseektomeettheirneeds.
Fromthispointofview,theenvironmentmaynotberegardedasafactor
hinderingdevelopment-forinthoseplaceswherehumanbeingsmakeuseof
theirenvironmenttherearebydefinitionconditionsinwhichfoodmaybe
produced.Thoseratherfewplacesthatdonotallowfoodtobeobtainedare
uninhabited.Inthesecircumstancesitbecomesparadoxicalthatthenatural
environmentisthefactormostofteninvokedasaprimaryobstacleto
development,thoughthereareofcoursemanyrecognizedreasonswhythis
shouldbeso.Oneoftheseconcernsthefactthatenvironmentalconditionsare
subjecttovariabilitythatreducesoutputandsometimesleadstooutrighthunger.
Theclimatemayvary,aswellassoilconditions,conditionsasregardswater
resourcesandsoon,theseallbeingelementsthatcandetermineamountsoffood
producedinaverymarkedway.Ifissuesariseinthissphere,thetalkthenisof
conditionsunfavorableforagriculture.Abrupt,unexpectedandinfactunpredict-
ablenaturaleventsensurethatconditionsforhumanmanagementcanbecome
alteredeveninanenvironmentthatisandhasbeenoccupied.Historical
descriptionsofsituationsofthiskindcharacterizingSouthAmericaareinfact
manyinnumber,andrelatetothetimesofthepre-Columbiancivilization(most
notablythewell-knownfalloftheMayaduetofar-reachingchangeinan
environmentthathadbeenmanagedratherintensively),aswellastomodern-day
climatechangegenuinelygivingrisetothedestructionofcropsandplacesof
