Tipologías de juventudes rurales en Colombia: herramienta para la planificación y gestión pública inclusiva

Abstract

This article proposes a typology of rural youth as a technical tool for differentiated territorial planning in Colombia. The classification is built through an intersectional and territorial approach, considering variables such as gender, ethnicity, educational level, employment status, mobility, and geographic location. Its aim is to contribute to governance and the formulation of more relevant public policies by recognizing the diversity of trajectories and conditions that shape the lives of rural youth.

The research is framed within the conceptual advances of youth studies, particularly those that have brought visibility to non-urban youth identities from a cultural, relational, and critical perspective. It also responds to the practical demands of governance, which requires analytical instruments capable of guiding decisions in complex and heterogeneous rural contexts. At the regional level, it is noted that public policies continue to operate under adult-centered, sectoral, and urban-centric logics, overlooking the specificities of rural youth realities. In this regard, the proposed typology allows rural youth to be recognized as strategic actors for sustainable development, facilitating their integration into territorial governance processes. The article concludes that acknowledging the internal diversity of rural youth is essential for advancing toward more effective, inclusive, and context-sensitive public policies that respond to the real demands of a population historically marginalized by both the State and academia.