Abstract

FAVERO, Eveline  and  SARRIERA, Jorge Castellá. Rural extension and intervention: old issues and new challenges for professionals. Cad. psicol. soc. trab. [online]. 2009, vol.12, n.1, pp. 1-16. ISSN 1516-3717.

The article discusses the challenges of the rural context that are faced on a daily basis by various professionals involved in the practice of rural extension. Argumentative analysis is used as a method for the treatment of data, which were collected by recording interviews made with students and alumni of the Graduate Studies Program in Rural Extension of the Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil. The interviews were made in December of 2005 in Santa Maria, state of Rio Grande do Sul. The event was part of a seminar held to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the course's creation. 23 persons participated in it. The results were divided into three categories of analysis: the rural reality, the profile of rural extension practitioners and the training in rural extension. It should be highlighted that the rural environment does not consist of an essentially agricultural space. Thus, the rural extension practitioner's sole concerned with technique may not be enough to meet the diversified needs of a poly-active and heterogeneous context. Interdisciplinary work and an adequate training constitute challenges to be faced by the professionals of this area. Furthermore, a discipline such as psychology should extend its field of activities and make a contribution to adequately respond to the different needs of the rural population.

Keywords : Rural extension; Psychology; Interventions.

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