Synopsis of the conversion programme productive for the agricultural sector Costa rican

Abstract

Productive Reconversion Program for the Costa Rican Food and Agriculture Sector. Development models applied by the Costa Rican government throughout the last fifty years have favored the industrial sector more than the agricultural sector. The industrial model has not been sustainable due to the dependence on imported primary goods and the low generation of hard currency associated with exportation. As a result, the policies concerning development focused once again on the farming sector, seeking to enhance productivity, efficiency and competitiveness. With the issuance of Law N° 7742 called “Creation of the Productive Reconversion Program of the Food and Agriculture Sector,” the Government intends to provide the necessary tools that will allow the farming sector to transform provide the necessary tools the will allow the farming sector to transform its production activities and thereby modernize the sector for insertion in the international market. In our analysis, we determined that the Program has a series of unique attributes for achieving the objectives for which it was created. Among its characteristics is its emphasis as a program that revalues the concept of agriculture as a system, and its participatory approach. The Program’s philosophy derives from the search for food security and is also compatible with the policies concerning sustainable development in Costa Rica. Furthermore, it promotes equity and solidarity, and its success is based on the training and development of human capital. The program has specific areas of work and beneficiaries. The Program also has strengths and weaknesses, which are presented in this article. The more problematic areas of the Program are those related to legislation, institutional support, training, feasibility studies, project management, productive systems, marketing and commercialization. Finally, this paper examines the main challenges to competitiveness currently facing the farming sector in today’s global economic environment.