TERRITORIAL PERCEPTIONS ON INTEGRAL RURAL REFORM AND PEACEBUILDING: ANALYSIS FROM THE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WITH A TERRITORIAL FOCUS IN TIBÚ, COLOMBIA.

Abstract

This study analyzes the perceptions of victims of armed conflict regarding the Comprehensive Rural Reform (CRR) and land use within the framework of the Territorial Development Programs (PDET) in the municipality of Tibú, Catatumbo subregion (Colombia). The analysis is grounded in the theoretical approach of perception as a cognitive process of interpreting the environment (Vargas Melgarejo, 1994), articulated with perspectives on peacebuilding and territorial development.A qualitative hermeneutic-interpretive approach was adopted, based on semi-structured interviews with 15 participants and documentary analysis. The data were processed through qualitative coding using NVivo software, allowing for the identification of emergent categories and relationships between experience, knowledge, and policy evaluation.Findings reveal that perceptions are shaped by territorial experience and characterized by structural ambivalence: while participants acknowledge advances in infrastructure, participation, and productive initiatives, these are simultaneously assessed as insufficient and uneven. Persistent challenges include weak state presence, land tenure informality, and territorial insecurity. Likewise, land use shows limited transformation, and peace is perceived as fragile.The study concludes that the legitimacy of rural development and peacebuilding policies is primarily shaped by lived experience rather than institutional design, highlighting the importance of incorporating local perceptions in post-conflict contexts