Strategic Approaches in the Development Plan of the Tolima Department "with Security in the Territory 2024-2027"

Objective: To identify the main programmatic pillars in the Development Plan (DP) document of the Tolima department - Colombia "With Security in the Territory 2024-2027". Theoretical Framework: The study reviews the historical evolution of territorial planning since 1950, when it was structured as a science, and its main contemporary characteristics: multi-scalarity, intersectorality, and pluri-temporality. The principles of decentralization and citizen participation established in the 1991 Constitution constitute the foundation of territorial planning regulations in Colombia. Method: The methodology consists of documentary research. An analytical matrix was constructed to identify sectors, programs, strategies, and goals of the three pillars and six special chapters that comprise the DP, cross-referencing this information with financial plan analysis to determine the departmental administration's priorities Results and Discussion: Pillar 1, innovation for social transformation, receives the largest budgetary allocation (primarily for education and health, funded with national resources from the General Participation System (GPS)), while Pillar 2, productive innovation for competitiveness and sustainable development, concentrates programs funded with local resources, especially in road infrastructure. The consolidation of 13 productive corridors in the department is proposed. Research Implications: The plan analysis identifies the persistence of structural challenges in articulating the planning vision with available resources. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the analysis of contemporary medium-term departmental territorial planning (4 years), understudied due to its brevity, but with relevance in Tolima due to governmental continuity of a political sector.