Volume 5, Issue 2 (2022) of Boletín El Conuco gathers three studies that explore the intersection of public policy, sustainability, and regional economics: Deisy Morales and Lina Beltrán examine the socio‑economic and environmental impact of aerial glyphosate spraying on coca crops, revealing health, ecological, and livelihood risks that challenge the effectiveness and cost of this anti‑drug strategy; Francy Guayacán and Luz Peña present an in‑depth analysis of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Knowledge’s 2023‑1 Annual Procurement Plan, showing how transparent and efficient management of public funds strengthens cultural‑heritage preservation; and Katherine Ospina with Erika Rojas assess the economic effects of paddy‑rice imports in Meta (1991‑2019), concluding that, despite the U.S. free‑trade agreement, imports did not cause negative structural shifts in local production, which even expanded its cultivated area. Together, these contributions offer a critical, multidimensional view of the challenges and dynamics shaping Colombia’s economic, environmental, and cultural development.