Peru’s Rural Areas in a Period of Transition. Studying Livelihoods in the Sierra de Piura

Mirosława CZERNY*¹
* Corresponding author
¹ University of Warsaw, Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, Warsaw, POLAND 
E-mail: mczerny@uw.edu.pl
Pages: 219-225. URL: https://geografie.ubbcluj.ro/ccau/jssp/arhiva_si2_2013/05JSSPSI022013.pdf

Cite: Czerny M. (2013), Peru’s Rural Areas in a Period of Transition. Studying Livelihoods in the Sierra de Piura. Journal of Settlements and Spatial Planning, Special Issue 2, 219-225. URL: https://geografie.ubbcluj.ro/ccau/jssp/arhiva_si2_2013/05JSSPSI022013.pdf

Abstract. Local development and especially the issues of differentiation of development and living standards within each country is one of the research topics most frequently selected by geographers. In the 1990s geography joined the mainstream of research on social vulnerability and livelihood. The fact that geography is involved in such research is not random and results from its filed interests, which include threats to life and human activities caused by the natural, economic and political processes. In the 1980s the efforts to help regions affected by natural disasters and eventually the regions permanently underdeveloped and stricken by poverty intensified and created room for deeper studies on the issues of underdevelopment and poverty. The purpose of this paper is to show the factors that contribute to social vulnerability as well as identify ways that can help reduce its level and prevent crises and tensions arising from the lack of solid foundations for the development (modes of livelihood). The area under investigation is Peru. Due to a very large diversity of the natural environment of the Peruvian Andes and strong ethnic and class divisions of the population it seems to be an excellent laboratory for carrying out this study. Formulated on the basis of preliminary studies, the thesis shows a huge potential of the local communities to overcome the adverse developmental conditions. The disregard of the central and provincial authorities, lack of infrastructure and problems arising from changing environmental conditions have not pushed people out from that region to urban areas, although lack of the way out of crisis and weakness discourages many people from taking more radical action to improve their situation and support local development.

K e y w o r d s:  peripheral regions, livelihood, poverty, Sierra de Piura, geographies of development