Tolima

Tolima's central location makes it 'the navel of Colombia'—a crossroads where trade flows from one end of the country to the other. The capital Ibagué has borne the title 'Musical Capital of Colombia' since 1886, home to the Conservatory of Music declared a National Monument in 1994. La Caña, Pasillo, Bambuco, and San Juanero rhythms preserve pre-Columbian folklore that the Colombian Folk Music Festival celebrates annually.

The department's agricultural diversity matches its musical variety. Tolima produces more rice and sesame than any other Colombian department, contributing to the central/western region's 48% share of national rice output. Coffee grows on the slopes above Ibagué, cultivated by smallholders including indigenous and Afro-descendant communities who tend Castillo, Colombia, Typica, Bourbon, and Maracaturra varieties across 38 municipalities. The plains produce cacao, tobacco, sugarcane, and bananas.

But climate change threatens this abundance. Rice yields have declined nearly 6% in just two years due to unpredictable rainfall. By 2026, Tolima will test whether its geographic centrality can attract the water management infrastructure needed to sustain agriculture—or whether the 'navel of Colombia' becomes a casualty of the climate disruption affecting Andean farming regions.