The Mission for the Transformation of the Colombian Countryside

The Mission for the Transformation of the Countryside (MTC) is established as a government initiative aimed at designing a broad and robust set of instruments and public policies for rural development in Colombia in the next two decades. It seeks a comprehensive and long-term transformation of the Colombian countryside, focusing on both competitiveness and agricultural productivity as well as the well-being of rural residents. The MTC approaches rural development from a comprehensive perspective that combines the productive with the social, proposing to close urban-rural gaps and recognizing the importance of participatory territorial approaches, comprehensive development for social and productive inclusion, and the promotion of a competitive and environmentally sustainable rural development. This approach implies a significant change in public policy towards greater inclusion of small producers and an orientation towards improving the quality of life in rural areas, with special attention to the provision of essential public goods such as science, technology, infrastructure and financial services. The MTC strategy covers various fronts, including science, technology, and innovation (STI), road infrastructure and land adaptation, agricultural health, financing, international trade, and domestic marketing, with the aim of overcoming the bottlenecks that limit the competitiveness of the Colombian agricultural sector.