Towards a Characterization of Rural Entrepreneurs in the Municipalities of El Rosal and Subachoque in Cundinamarca

Abstract

With the purpose of determining the characteristics surrounding rural entrepreneurs, the team that led this investigation chose the Municipalities of El Rosal and Subachoque as the centers of study. Located west of Bogota, their territorial division includes both rural and urban sectors, particularly the former. Economy in these two municipalities is based on agriculture, stockbreeding, (urban) commerce and ecotourism. The theoretical framework is thus presented, based on a number of definitions of the ‘entrepreneur’ concept, from the definition by the Real Academia de la Lengua Española to Schumpeter’s (1947) relative simplicity, describing him as an innovator capable of generating social changes. The general characteristics of an entrepreneur that creates enterprises are included, as well as their skills and abilities, and the stages described by Gámez in Gestión del proyecto, puesta en marcha y desarrollo inicial. The methodological process implemented includes carrying out a survey among entrepreneurs from those municipalities, as well as in-depth interviews with the main municipal authorities, the town mayors