Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

The innovation gap: How the lack of rural innovation policies is keeping the Andean Chocó region in Ecuador dependent on extractivism

Davalos Sanchez, Ignacio Sebastian LU (2025) HEKM51 20251
Department of Human Geography
Human Ecology
Abstract
Sustainability involves not only the analysis of social-environmental systems but also the dynamics of-economic and political structures. In Ecuador, pressing environmental issues such as climate change,-biodiversity loss, and soil degradation are intricately tied to both local and global extractive economies,-including industries related to fossil fuels, minerals, and biological resources. The Andean Chocó-region, located in the northwest, is particularly vulnerable, with the significant threat of extractivism to-both the environment and local communities. The persistent challenges of poverty and unemployment-leave residents susceptible to the influence of extractive industries and perpetuate a primary economic-model based on the... (More)
Sustainability involves not only the analysis of social-environmental systems but also the dynamics of-economic and political structures. In Ecuador, pressing environmental issues such as climate change,-biodiversity loss, and soil degradation are intricately tied to both local and global extractive economies,-including industries related to fossil fuels, minerals, and biological resources. The Andean Chocó-region, located in the northwest, is particularly vulnerable, with the significant threat of extractivism to-both the environment and local communities. The persistent challenges of poverty and unemployment-leave residents susceptible to the influence of extractive industries and perpetuate a primary economic-model based on the production of raw materials. such as the case of cocoa production. My thesis-describes how the lack of rural innovation policies keeps the dependency on local extractive practices,-emphasizing the necessity to foster social innovation and green economic diversification in the region-as crucial strategies to create a sustainable economy. I conducted semi-structured interviews with social-organizations and local entrepreneurs to identify the challenges for innovation in the region and then I-made a document analysis with the Ecuadorian Organic Law of Entrepreneurship and Innovation tounderstand the policy gaps that hinder the capacity of the Andean Chocó region to overcome theeconomic dependency on extractive practices. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Davalos Sanchez, Ignacio Sebastian LU
supervisor
organization
course
HEKM51 20251
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Extractivism, social innovation, rural entrepreneurship, Andean Chocó
language
English
id
9188567
date added to LUP
2025-09-26 08:18:17
date last changed
2025-09-26 08:18:17
@misc{9188567,
  abstract     = {{Sustainability involves not only the analysis of social-environmental systems but also the dynamics of-economic and political structures. In Ecuador, pressing environmental issues such as climate change,-biodiversity loss, and soil degradation are intricately tied to both local and global extractive economies,-including industries related to fossil fuels, minerals, and biological resources. The Andean Chocó-region, located in the northwest, is particularly vulnerable, with the significant threat of extractivism to-both the environment and local communities. The persistent challenges of poverty and unemployment-leave residents susceptible to the influence of extractive industries and perpetuate a primary economic-model based on the production of raw materials. such as the case of cocoa production. My thesis-describes how the lack of rural innovation policies keeps the dependency on local extractive practices,-emphasizing the necessity to foster social innovation and green economic diversification in the region-as crucial strategies to create a sustainable economy. I conducted semi-structured interviews with social-organizations and local entrepreneurs to identify the challenges for innovation in the region and then I-made a document analysis with the Ecuadorian Organic Law of Entrepreneurship and Innovation tounderstand the policy gaps that hinder the capacity of the Andean Chocó region to overcome theeconomic dependency on extractive practices.}},
  author       = {{Davalos Sanchez, Ignacio Sebastian}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The innovation gap: How the lack of rural innovation policies is keeping the Andean Chocó region in Ecuador dependent on extractivism}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}