Transforming Territories: Successful Extension Programs and Projects at Central American Universities

Abstract

The article analyzes the relevance of the University in the Countryside Program (UNICAM) and various successful projects promoted by six member universities of the Central American Network for Critical Extension Research (RECIEC), which promote territoriality, risk management, and local development. These experiences reaffirm the transformative role of university extension by integrating teaching, research, innovation, and extension from a critical and participatory approach. The methodology was qualitative and participatory, based on action research, collaborative work, and popular education. Community assessments, workshops, interviews, and mapping were carried out, and participatory planning and evaluation were conducted with the active participation of students, teachers, local leaders, and various institutions. The universities implemented projects with a territorial focus in Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama, targeting rural and indigenous sectors, with an emphasis on food security, local governance, environmental education, and sustainable productive development. The results show that the projects have contributed significantly by linking technical and scientific knowledge to the specific needs of communities, thus promoting the overall well-being of their members. These positive experiences are reflected in the strengthening of local capacities, the generation of situated knowledge, expanded access to higher education in rural areas, the implementation of comprehensive educational practices, and greater coordination between the university and the community. In addition, processes of curricularization of university extension stand out, highlighting the need to consolidate a socially committed and transformative university. This implies that critical extension allows us to rethink the university as a living territory, promoting the dialogue of knowledge, the active participation of communities, and the sustainability of actions. It is recommended to strengthen institutional policies that guarantee the continuity and impact of these initiatives.