Analysis of the livelihoods and the empowerment of peasant communities: an analysis of two rural areas in the department of Boyacá, Colombia

Abstract The analysis of the livelihoods and the empowerment of rural communities has become one of the main strategies for characterising and studying rural communities, even more so when, in different parts of the world, these communities are strongly affected by the dynamics of politics and economics. The research aims to analyse the livelihoods and empowerment of two rural communities in the department of Boyacá in Colombia. To this purpose, two communities were chosen, one each from the municipalities of Ventaquemada and Jericó. A case study method was applied, with information being collected through semi-structured interviews with 24 family units. The results allowed significant differences to be found in the progress of the development of livelihoods, which was mainly associated with natural capital. In addition, it was also possible to distinguish differential features between the two study areas, which were associated with the social, economic, and physical environment, and therefore determined the degree of empowerment of family unit members in following a productive vocation in the rural sector.