SOCIAL EQUITY AND RURAL ENTERPRISES: A STUDY CASE

Abstract

Peasant communities in the Colombian rural sectors face different economic, social and environmental challenges. Problems related to land ownership, income distribution, low parcel productivity and high production and commercialization costs, have taken peasant communities to an unacceptable state of marginality and poverty for a country with an incredibly high potential in the farming and livestock sectors. The formation and consolidation of close social networks between community members turns into a determining factor to achieve acceptable human integral and sustainable development levels.This article shows the results found in the farming cooperative stores regarding the social equity topic in the township of Lenguazaque (Cundinamarca) and neighboring areas (COOPALAC), where the associates and their families traditionally dedicate themselves to the production of milk and potato crops. Through surveys and role plays, it was found that trust and cooperation among the members of the dairy cooperative store are key elements for income growth and social well-being. However, the evident asymmetry in the information received, together with the absence of an effective leadership, are becoming factors that might eventually lead to a deterioration of the most important variables in the forming and consolidation of the established social networks