Resumo

RAMIREZ ALVAREZ, Marcelo; SANTOYO CORTES, Vinicio Horacio; RENDON MEDEL, Roberto  e  JIMENEZ CARRASCO, Juan Salvador. Design and implementation factors associated with the performance of an extension program in Mexico. Rev. Mex. Cienc. Agríc [online]. 2022, vol.13, n.2, pp.235-246.  Epub 01-Ago-2022. ISSN 2007-0934.  https://doi.org/10.29312/remexca.v13i2.2722.

For extension programs to achieve their objective, they must be pertinent and effective, that is, their design and implementation should be considered. Therefore, this research analyzed the effect of factors regarding the design and implementation of an extension program on its performance, which was measured, based on the changes achieved, with the innovation adoption index. For this, the characteristics of the production units served, technicians hired, and the variables associated with the implementation of the program were compared with the innovation adoption index of 921 corn producers in the state of Veracruz, Mexico, who received technical support in 2017 and 2018, through comparisons of means and correlations. The results showed positive changes in the innovation adoption index with an average increase of 6.3% in eight of nine municipalities (p<0.05). The attributes of the production units that favored the adoption were the prior use of hybrids, mechanized tillage and commercialization, while in the operation, the timely start of the service in relation to the phenological stage of the crop, the experience, rooting and the exclusive dedication of the technicians were the positive factors. Likewise, the density of the knowledge network increased slightly with the innovation adoption index. This may indicate that, by promoting the interaction among producers, the adoption of innovations could improve. Thus, it is suggested that the design and implementation of future extension programs should consider the heterogeneity of the target population, promote the indicated characteristics of the technicians, start the operation in a timely manner and explicitly promote the interaction between producers.

Palavras-chave : adoption of innovations; agricultural extension work; implementation; innovation networks.

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