New Rurality from two visions of rural development and sustainability: Environmental Economics and Ecological Economics

Abstract

Local development since the early nineties is influenced by a current sociological trend that proposes rethinking what the theory has called the rural sector. The New Rurality in its Latin American perspective locates fundamental angles for change in the rural area: urban-rural linkages, non-farm rural employment, environmental services provision, agri-environmental certifications or «green stamps», towns as service centers, the active role of communities and sociaeties, and eco-cultural diversity as patrimony (Rojas, 2008). The aim of this paper is to show that there is a debate within this current that has resulted in two conflicting sustainable regional development models, the approach based on market participation and the one that advocates for autonomy, self-management and self-direction of the progress of rural communities.