Modernization Models for Development Policy: American Proposals and their influence on the Servicio de Extensión Agraria (1955-1975)

Abstract

This article proposes the study of Francoism’s agrarian policies and, in particular, the creation and operations of the Servicio de Extensión Agraria (Agrarian Extension Service, 1955), within the context of the diffusion of the Modernization Theory. The article begins by contextualizing the cultural relations between Spain and the United States and their potential projection into the rural sphere. It goes on to focus on the mark left by the United States’ extensionist model on the organization and methodology of the Servicio de Extensión Agraria. Without disregarding the importance of the state level in the implementation and adaptation of the different agrarian policies, the international political and ideological context is also addressed as an element that allows for a broader comprehension and study of said policies.