SOCIAL INDICATORS AND RURAL SUSTAINABILITY: QUALITY OF LIFE, PARTICIPATION AND GENDER ROLES

1. SOCIAL INDICATORS AND RURAL SUSTAINABILITY: QUALITY OF LIFE, PARTICIPATION AND GENDER ROLES M. Julia Fawaz

2. Chile: an Outlook (1)

3. Chile: an Outlook(2) • Chile is a republic, with a presidential regime and a democratic, multiparty system. • It has an open economy, centered mainly on resource-based sectors, primarily copper mining and the agro-food sector. Also forestry, both native and plantations (pulp and paper).

4. Rural Development in Chile. Strategies and approaches • Long-standing concern in the country, expressed in various policies toward agriculture and forestry. • Decade of 60, until 1973 - Agrarian Reform. • Military Government - liberalization of land, agro-export model, basis for neoliberal agrarian modernization. • Legislative reforms, that break apart water property from land ownership, creating also a water market

5. ...Decade of the 90s and recent years… • Increase in public policies, subsidies and financial instruments for agriculture, although still low compared with other countries. • Democratic government – Deepening of trade liberalization - Concern for social and territorial equity. • Priority to problems of rural poverty as social policy goals. Great progress, but still gaps. Mainly, because rural poverty is a systemic problem, and social policies arise from different institutional sectors. • Emphasis in innovation, competitiveness, internationalization and strong promotion of agro-food sector. • Growing awareness of the importance of preserving natural resources (particularly land and water).

6. Objectives of the presentation • To examine the construction of three complex social indicators for rural sustainability in Central Chile, Province of Ñuble. • Dimensions: • Quality of life • Participation • Gender equity • Baseline: statistical data for rural areas in Chile and data gathered by field research.

7. Methodology • Literature review: new rurality and sustainability indicators. • Review of indicators of sustainable development in Chile. • Interviews with key informants (local and central government officials and community development leaders). • Survey of small farmers. • Analysis of policy and programs for rural development. • Construction of three complex indicators and their simple component indicators. • Field research and preliminary evaluation • Validation in process

8. Social indicator 1: Quality of life

9. Social indicator 2: Participation

10. Social indicator 3: Gender equity

11. PRELIMINARY RESULTS

12. Quality of life: preliminary results

13. Quality of life: preliminary results

14. Poverty evolution by region 2006-2009

15. Participation: preliminary results

16. Factors related to participation in local organizations in rural areas

17. Gender equity: preliminary results(1)

18. Gender equity: main results(2)

19. Gender equity: principal results(3)

20. CONCLUSIONS

21. Major challenges • Improvement of the sustainable management of natural resources. • A shift from the sectorial focus of agricultural policies towards comprehensive rural development programs. • Quality of education at all levels • Better access to knowledge and information • Reduction of income inequality • Management of Tics in agribusiness, especially in small and medium enterprises • Territorial balances - Effective Decentralization (There is still a centralism that hinders regional and local development) – Regional innovation. • Strengthening civil society for an effective participation and local governance • More effective support for small producers and to small and micro enterprises. • A real gender equity.

22. Thanks you FONDECYT Research project(1100506/2010):Women work and family life in rural modernization context. Realities and representations in the Province of Ñuble. AECI/University of Almería/Universidad del Bío-Bío