Development for whom? : an analysis of a rural intervention and its interaction with agricultural policies

Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2013.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Winicki, Paula
Other Authors: Xavier de Souza Briggs.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/79204
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author Winicki, Paula
author2 Xavier de Souza Briggs.
author_facet Xavier de Souza Briggs.
Winicki, Paula
author_sort Winicki, Paula
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description Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2013.
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spelling mit-1721.1/792042019-04-10T15:37:14Z Development for whom? : an analysis of a rural intervention and its interaction with agricultural policies Analysis of a rural intervention and its interaction with agricultural policies Winicki, Paula Xavier de Souza Briggs. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Urban Studies and Planning. Thesis (M.C.P.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning, 2013. Cataloged from PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (p. 71-79). This thesis examines the means and ends of development by addressing two main questions: 1) How does the Colombian state's neoliberal understanding of development affect the socio economic conditions of small farmers? And 2) How do nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that embrace the neoliberal approach to development interact with local communities in their land struggles? To explore these questions, this thesis focuses on a rural intervention by the organization Entrepreneurial Rural Development (ERD), in the Afro-Colombian correginiento of Las Marías (pseudonyms). I focus on this area because it embodies the contradictions in Colombia's agricultural policies: while government-supported programs such as ERD aim to ignite the social and economic development of small farmers, operating concurrently neoliberal policies curtail it. I first analyze how the ERD depoliticized its intervention, and how at the same time its activities have led to the emergence of new leadership in the community. Moreover, I investigate how socio political conditions within the community have significantly limited the success of the ERD's intended process of shaping the peasants with whom they work as small entrepreneurs. I also consider the extent to which the technologically and culturally oriented approach to the community's issues espoused by many of the organization's workers limited their understanding of the farmers' (already) entrepreneurial behavior. Micro-level interventions such as ERD cannot be studied in isolation. Rather, they need to be set in the context of the macro policies that either hinder or encourage the development of small farmers. In a country such as Colombia, which exhibits highly concentrated land ownership and wealth, I argue that neoliberal restructuring and the forms it has taken in the government's agricultural policies have shown a class bias toward large farmers. This bias has led to exclusionary growth, which undercut both access to land and employment for small farmers. The thesis concludes by outlining reforms to address these structural challenges. by Paula Winicki. M.C.P. 2013-06-17T19:47:19Z 2013-06-17T19:47:19Z 2013 2013 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/79204 844353062 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 79 p. application/pdf Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Urban Studies and Planning.
Winicki, Paula
Development for whom? : an analysis of a rural intervention and its interaction with agricultural policies
title Development for whom? : an analysis of a rural intervention and its interaction with agricultural policies
title_full Development for whom? : an analysis of a rural intervention and its interaction with agricultural policies
title_fullStr Development for whom? : an analysis of a rural intervention and its interaction with agricultural policies
title_full_unstemmed Development for whom? : an analysis of a rural intervention and its interaction with agricultural policies
title_short Development for whom? : an analysis of a rural intervention and its interaction with agricultural policies
title_sort development for whom an analysis of a rural intervention and its interaction with agricultural policies
topic Urban Studies and Planning.
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/79204
work_keys_str_mv AT winickipaula developmentforwhomananalysisofaruralinterventionanditsinteractionwithagriculturalpolicies
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