Evolution of the agrarian extension in Holguin, Cuba. Contribution to territorial development/Evolucion de la extension agraria en Holguin, Cuba. Contribucion al desarrollo territorial

The province of Holguin is pioneer in the agrarian extension activity in the country; however, there are scarce documents that show how it has evolved in time, which limits the access to the antecedents and impacts. Therefore, the objective of this work was to show the contribution of agrarian extension to the territorial development of Holguin province, from the recounting of the main events and reflections occurred in the Cuban revolutionary period. Primary sources (interviews to extensionists, managers, farmers, and teachers) and secondary sources (reports, scientific articles, memoirs of events) were used to compile and analyze the necessary information. The results showed five stages of extensions development with an impact on territorial development, especially in the training of human talents and productive processes, at different system levels. However, the current challenge is to develop the Agricultural Extension System, for which it is essential to make it a priority within agricultural policies.