Problems of rural extension courses in Mexico

Abstract

In order to contribute to the knowledge about the problems related to the policies of rural extension courses inMexico from the perspective of the extension agents, the circumstances which hinder their work wereidentified, described and analyzed. A survey of the extension agents from the Monitoring and EvaluationCourse Component System of Extension Agents 2016, which gathered information from nine states ofthe republic. The size of the sample amounted to 308 questionnaires. The answers to open questions wereanalyzed and were categorized and quantified. The analysis was later used in relation to the qualitativevariables. The difficulties were associated with socio-demographic variables and location. Fifteen problemswere found. There are five principal ones: 1) the lack of opportunity at the beginning of service; 2) training ofextension agents with a productivist perspective; 3) precarious work for extension agents; 4) discontinuationof extension groups; and 5) the dismantling of the component with other programs. Statistically significantdifferences were found between the predominant problem and the federal entity, sex, age, experience, andthe academic training of the extension agents which permits establishing specific strategies to promote amore effective and efficient public policy, based on the recommendations of the actors who make decisionsabout extension courses at the level of the production unit.