Este artículo mereció el primer premio en el Concurso “Juventudes Rurales, Situación y Desafíos” del año 2013. Su autor describe y analiza la participación de los jóvenes en la esfera política de las zonas rurales andinas de Bolivia y Perú, vinculando esa vivencia con las lógicas comunitarias tradicionales y las prácticas modernas. Asimismo muestra el apoyo  que brindan los jóvenes a sus ayllus para el desarrollo comunitario. 
Jóvenes en Los Andes
*Saúl Flores Calderón 

 
Diversos autores se han referido a la heterogeneidad de la agricultura familiar. Sin embargo, no hay estudios para determinar cómo esta heterogeneidad puede afectar la vida de los jóvenes rurales. El presente artículo está basado en una investigación realizada por el mismo autor, sobre la situación educativa y ocupacional de los jóvenes rurales y su implicación para la economía familiar, la sostenibilidad del agrosistema y sus proyectos de vida, basada en el estudio de caso de la población de Tierra Blanca, Cartago, Costa Rica. 

It is a well-known fact that households in developing countries often undergo weather-related and other shocks that drastically affect incomes. A large and growing literature explores the effectiveness of response to these events. One strand of the literature addresses the strategies that households and governments use to protect against income shocks (Udry 1990; Fafchamps, Udry, and Czukas 1998; Kochar 1999). A second strand looks at the effectiveness of these strategies in reducing fluctuations in consumption.

Despite substantial economic liberalization since the early 1990s, nontraditional exports in Zambia have grown only moderately and agricultural performance overall has been disappointing. Though agriculture accounts for less than 20 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), it is the most important source of employment, especially for women. Interpretations of Zambia’s poor performance variously emphasize external factors, such as declining copper prices and vulnerability to weather shocks, and market imperfections.

Reduction of rural poverty is one of the greatest challenges the Government of Nepal faces. Since most of the country’s agricultural production is semi-subsistence-oriented, increased commercialization of this rural-based economy is essential for poverty reduction and economic growth. Consequently, farm output diversification and productivity improvements are high-priority areas for the government.

Micronutrient malnutrition is a serious problem in developing countries. It is well established that micronutrient requirements are greater for women and children because of their special needs for reproduction and growth. Unfortunately, however, women and children suffer most from micronutrient deficiencies. Micronutrient deficiency impairs the cognitive development of young children, retards physical growth, increases child mortality, and contributes to the problem of maternal death during childbirth.

The early work on intrahousehold allocation alerted researchers and policymakers to the possible policy failures that could arise from neglect of intrahousehold allocation issues (Haddad, Hoddinott, and Alderman 1997). Conversely, what are the policy gains from paying attention to these issues? The new research on intrahousehold issues provides evidence that policies and interventions can be made more effective when differential rights, resources, and responsibilities within the household are explicitly considered.

The bargaining power of men and women crucially shapes the resource allocation decisions households make (Quisumbing and de la Brière 2000). Husbands and wives often use their bargaining power to express different priorities about how resources should be allocated. Understanding these differences and their effects is critical if policymakers are to improve livelihoods. Increasing the bargaining power of one gender group rather than another can mean the difference between policy failure and policy success.