After the labor migrants leave: The search for sustainable development in a sending region of the Ecuadorian Amazon

SummaryMany sustainable development projects take place in rural communities experiencing economic decline and out-migration. What kind of sustainable development projects succeed in these economically troubled settings? To answer this question, I examine two sustainable development projects initiated by women in a portion of the Ecuadorian Amazon experiencing economic decline and out-migration. The first project failed, and the second one succeeded. The differing outcomes suggest that, in the absence of larger public interventions to “turn a region around,” small scale projects that focus on the needs of the most socially cohesive groups, which are often networks of women, offer the best chance for success.