Abstract
Psychology has potential to contribute to rural extension. Nonetheless, the characteristics of its role, as well as the specific needs in different countries have not been yet clarified. Thus, aiming at analyzing Latin American rural extensionists' differential expectations of psychology in 12 countries, a survey was conducted. Of 654 surveyed extensionists, 585 considered psychology could contribute to their work. Expectations from psychology in the different countries are diverse, despite the fact some of them are shared. There are two different types of expectations: those such as the management of farmers' groups and participatory processes, and the training and advising of extensionists, which can be used to guide psychologists' practices; and those that place farmers in the position of objects of psychologists' interventions and not of subjects of transformation, which has to be put up for discussion with extensionists.
Keywords:
rural environments; role expectations; economic development; Latin America