Factors Favoring Rural Entrepreneurship: Innovation in Action

Abstract

The research analyzed the relationship between three variables: i) the factors that favor rural entrepreneurship based on the recognition of the opportunities and strengths present, ii) the barriers and challenges faced by rural entrepreneurs in the municipalities of Girardot, Ricaurte and Flandes in Colombia, and iii) aspects such as access to financial resources, existing government policies, infrastructure, technology and innovation, cultural characteristics, education, training, access to markets and business sustainability. The methodology used was participatory- action-research, where the rural community is the main axis of project development. The approach is qualitative and inductive in nature, using a non-probabilistic purposive sampling of 60 individuals distributed in the three municipalities. The information was collected through pedagogical strategies such as the application of workshops and characterization sheets with the community. Among the main conclusions of the study, it is revealed that the relevant factors for the development of rural entrepreneurship are easy and timely access to financing, business training and a strengthened infrastructure that includes technology and innovation. It is also recognized that entrepreneurs face important challenges in the marketing of their products and in managing competitiveness in order to be recognized in the market.