Sucre

Sucre exists because politicians carved it from Bolívar in 1966—one of Colombia's youngest departments, born from administrative convenience rather than geographic logic. The Sinú and San Jorge river basins shape its landscape: fertile lowlands for cattle and crops, flood-prone wetlands that resist infrastructure, and a Caribbean coastline at Tolú that promises tourism but delivers mostly fishing. Sincelejo, the capital, grew as a livestock trading post connecting cattle ranches to coastal markets.

Today Sucre exemplifies the Caribbean coast's development trap. Agriculture and livestock dominate the economy, but formality rates fall below 20%—compared to 67% in Bogotá. Food insecurity reached 49.5% in 2024, second-highest nationally, meaning half the population struggles to eat despite living on productive agricultural land. The paradox is structural: cattle ranching concentrates land ownership, commodity agriculture employs seasonally, and neither generates the tax base for public services. The 2024-2027 departmental budget prioritizes agriculture, tourism, and social welfare, but with limited fiscal capacity.

By 2026, Sucre will test whether Colombia's agricultural boom reaches its poorest agricultural regions. National agriculture grew 8.1% in 2024—the economy's strongest sector—yet Sucre's smallholders lack the scale, credit, and cold-chain access to capture that growth. If agroindustry investment creates formal jobs and land reform reaches subsistence farmers, Sucre could finally convert its natural fertility into shared prosperity. If not, it remains a cautionary tale: rich soil, poor people.