Integration of the Principles of Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems CFS-RAI from the Local Action Groups: Towards a Model of Sustainable Rural Development in Jauja, Peru

Abstract

The Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RAI) are shown as suitable instruments to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in rural areas. Local Action Groups (LAGs) have proven to be effective governance structures for the implementation and management of rural development projects based on participation and collective action. This research integrates the implementation of the LAG from the CFS-RAI Principles for the design of a rural development strategy. The foundations of these new structures are analyzed and the process of creating a LAG linked to the El Mantaro Regional Development Center (RDC) of the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos (UNMSM), in the Junín region (Peru), is described. The methodological process incorporates the “Working With People” (WWP) approach and the LEADER (Liaison Entre Actions de Développement de l’Économie Rurale) specificities for the analysis of empirical information obtained in surveys and workshops, with 350 people involved in the process. The results indicate that the LAGs, as multi-stakeholder partnerships linked to the RDC, are a novel way to integrate the CFS-RAI principles from participation, proximity management, strengthening local communities and promoting sustainable development through projects. These results contribute to the empowerment of civil organizations and motivate their participation in local political decisions related to sustainable rural development.

Competencies and Capabilities for the Management of Sustainable Rural Development Projects in the Value Chain: Perception from Small and Medium-Sized Business Agents in Jauja, Peru

“…The methodology focused on the actors of the guinea pig value chain from Jauja, as they have demonstrated active dynamism in sustainable rural development, with technical advances [88], improvements in governance, integration, and implementation of the CFS-RAI Principles, since their connection with the binomial Jauja LAG-Regional Development Centre (RDC) El Mantaro [29] and their participation in the business programme on the CFS-RAI Principles [15]. Thus, the progress of the actors can be enhanced through contributions to sustainable project management.…”

“…The social innovation promoted by the LEADER Community Initiative [68,69] and the Working With People (WWP) approach [30] has been important for the success of several projects, where the population has played a leading and empowered role in making decisions concerning planning and in the management of the sustainable development of their locality, with a view to achieving the common well-being of the population [70] and good governance [71]. Likewise, the committed participation of universities in accompanying the process of sustainable rural development with human capital formation and technical guidance stands out [29,72].…”

“…This prioritisation of the guinea pig value chain is due to the fact that producers have limited land areas [23], as well as the productive advantages of the guinea pig, namely its adaptability, versatility, precocity, and accelerated reproduction [24,25], and the high demand for guinea pig meat [26]. With the projects that benefit the guinea pig value chain, the actors are improving their competencies and their income, and their limited participation in development management is gradually being reversed [27], thanks to the application of the WWP model [28,29]. It is a model of sustainable planning and management that integrates people's knowledge, learning, and values to undertake common projects [30] with a social innovation effect [31] that contributes to sustainable rural development.…”

From “Putting the Last First” to “Working with People” in Rural Development Planning: A Bibliometric Analysis of 50 Years of Research

“…Many of these experiences are published in the form of articles, so that there is a transfer of people's learning to the scientific community's knowledge system and also to the public and private agents, as well as development policy managers. These experiences, based on the three components of the WWP model (ethical-social, technical-entrepreneurial and political-contextual) have generated different methodological applications in Latin America and Europe in relation to social innovation and sustainable rural development [83,[91][92][93], the sustainability of food production systems and rational consumption [90]; sustainable entrepreneurship [87,92,93]; the FAO principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture (RAI principles), the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Land Tenure [90,[94][95][96] and project-based governance for sustainability [97]. These WWP applications have effectively validated the joint decision-making processes, public-private partnerships, sustainability in projects, change of mindset amongst governments and financiers, contributing to the improvement in people's quality of life.…”

Editorial for the Special Issue “Business Strategies Concerning the Sustainable Development Goals and the SDG Compass”

“…The ninth article [13] presents a case study based on information obtained through surveys and workshops with 350 people involved in the process of creating a Local Action Group (LAG) based on the Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CSA-RAI) in the Junín region (Peru). The analysis demonstrates that LAGs represent an effective governance structure for the implementation and management of rural development projects based on participation and collective action that favours the achievement of the SDGs in rural areas.…”