Limits and potentialities of university education in latin america for rural extension practice

Abstract

Research on the education of extension workers tends to focus on the implementation of training activities, while studying the role of university education is infrequent. This research analyzes the limits and potentialities of university for educating extension workers based on 133 interviewees to practitioners from different Latin American countries. Results show that undergraduate university education in agricultural sciences includes insufficient knowledge on rural extension, tends to be excessively theoretical, and has an approach that oversimplifies the complexity of agroecosystems. In contrast, graduation studies and diplomas on extension and rural development have great potential. The article finishes presenting different proposals to overcome the identified limitations.