Rural development in the High Pyrenees and the Aran Valley. Entrepreneurship and the participation of women

Abstract

Innovative activities are to be found together with traditional activities in the Catalan Pyrenees. These new activities generate interactions between rural areas in the Pyrenees and the urban areas of Catalonia. Advantages are generated, such as tourist activities or processed products, but negative aspects also arise, like the decrease in land available for agriculture. In this situation, it is important to find a sustainable pattern of development which combines economic and social projects with local and natural opportunities. The agrarian crisis in mountain areas has generated new rural development strategies based on product diversification, innovation and added-value activities, with the goal of achieving a comparative advantage in the various peripheral territories. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between the extent of entrepreneurial and added-value activities and the participation of women in local government or business initiatives. The methodology combines qualitative and quantitative analyses. A database has been developed from diverse statistical sources and 30 in-depth interviews have been held with politicians, technical experts and entrepreneurs of both genders. With this information we have established that there are some activities and social networks with the direct participation of women which to different extents facilitate a sustainable development.

Keywords: comparative advantage, rural development, entrepreneurship, gender, governance, Catalan Pyrenees.