Drivers of Sustainable Rural Growth and Poverty Reduction in Central America : Guatemala Case Study, Volume 2. Background Papers and Technical Appendices

[摘要] This regional study encompasses threeCentral American countries: Nicaragua, Guatemala andHonduras. The focus of this report is Guatemala. The studyis motivated by several factors: First is the recognitionthat sub-national regions are becoming increasinglyheterogeneous, and economically differentiated as part ofongoing processes of development and diversification, withsome areas advancing, and others being left behind. Secondis the acceptance that one rural strategy does not fit all;design of an appropriately tailored rural strategy requiresunderstanding the assets, markets, and institutions thatframe household opportunities and livelihood strategies.Third, rural heterogeneity requires identification ofsufficiently homogeneous areas and household types tofacilitate policy formulation, investment strategies, andproject design. Fourth, there is a need to bridge the gapbetween conceptual strategies, and their timelyimplementation in order to obtain tangible and sustainableresults. To this end, it is necessary to identify theappropriate sequencing, and complementary of investments inassets needed to drive growth and reduce poverty. Thestudy's focus on assets is appropriate givenhistorically stark inequalities in the distribution ofproductive assets among households in the region. Suchinequalities are likely to constrain how the poor share inthe benefits of growth, even under appropriate policyregimes. Rural poverty in Guatemala is characterized bythree important features. First, geographic isolation,caused by varied topography, and inadequate transportnetworks, is an important correlate of poverty. The seconddominant feature of rural poverty is ethnic exclusion.Poverty rates are far higher among indigenous groups andgroups whose primary language is not Spanish. Third, ruralpoverty is concentrated in particular areas: that is, it hasa particularly strong spatial dimension in Guatemala.Findings indicate that the high degree of overlap betweenhigh poverty rates, and high poverty densities in areas suchas the Western Altiplano, means that investments thereshould reach significant proportions of the country'srural poor. Thus, to generate substantial gains in povertyreduction and broad-based growth, complementarities betweenproductive, social, and location-specific assets must beaddressed. Specifically, the report focuses on access toland, and strong local level institutions, and socialcapital, to compensate for lack of physical assets. Thisalso requires a move from geographically untargetedinvestments in single assets, to a more integrated andgeographically based approach of asset enhancement, withproper complementarities.

[发布日期] 2004-12-31 [发布机构] Washington, DC

[学科分类] 社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

[关键词] AGRICULTURAL SECTOR;AGRICULTURE;AGRO-ECOLOGICAL ZONES;CAPACITY BUILDING;CARBON