Sustainable rural development: a need for agrofood security in Venezuela.

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation analysis is to think about the part that represents the rural development in the success of the
national alimentary system, under the approach of the new sustainability paradigm. The methodology applied has been the documental kind,
behind a detailed bibliographic analysis revision of the information. The document begins by making a short historical reference from the
origin of the term “rural development”, considering the community development as its initial conception; then there is a reflection about the
priority to pay special attention on the sustainable rural development. Later it is made a description of the legal constitutional backgrounds
that must guard the national agro alimentary security, its actual features and some concrete examples that demonstrate the national reality. In
the same way it is accurate the active participation of the rural family, specifically the woman figure, as a determinant actor in the rural
development processes with a high sensibility directed to the daily event and the possible solutions to achieve. By the other hand it is
emphasized how the community leaders participation make the co-management within communities and institutions to be a tangible fact for
the decision making about the detected problems and it is warned about the importance to set the key performance indicators (KPI’s) to carry
out an effective following and objective evaluation from the results obtained. Finally a short strategic analysis about the agro alimentary
situation in Venezuela is made, where the strengths and opportunities of the country are shown, as well as the big weaknesses and threats that
generate a safety and agro alimentary crisis now days. In conclusion: rural world’s problems cannot be approached and solved isolated; a New
Rural Culture is required to reach the sustainable rural development and the specific laws must be facilitators for development and not such a
“straight jacket” without representing the feeling and will of the citizens. The new rurality remarks the importance of the development
representative’s empowerment, regarding with a big emphasis on the women and the community leaders. The creation of the KPI’s for the
following and evaluation of the development programs represents the corner stone due to the fact that the rural development emergent vision
in Venezuela is circumscribed to promote the production systems sustainability with the purpose of guarantee the alimentary security; the
macroeconomic and institutional context, and the current agro alimentary policies framework is not the most favorable for the national agro
alimentary production sustained growth.