Overview
Peru is not different from many other Latin American countries where there is a major division between rural and urban society. In Peru, most economic and social development occurs in urban areas, leaving those in rural areas behind. Because of economic and political unrest in rural Peru, there has been a massive migration to urban areas such as Lima. Rural Peruvians have less access to quality education both due to mismanagement in the school system and the need of rural Peruvian children and young adults to work. Many rural Peruvians are sustenance farmers, which means they do not have the ability to save and invest money like urban Peruvians. Rural Peruvians have also had to deal with violence and political instability caused by conflict between the Peruvian government and the Shining Path.
Recommendations for Rural Development
- Enforce school-age status in rural communities.
- Provide assistance and incentive for families to not use their children as labor.
- Provide state-funded credit to transform sustenance farmers into business farmers.
- Ensure that resources in rural areas are used for and by rural people and Peru, not companies.