Cooperative Extension System

The cooperative extension system (“Extension”) is the world's largest informal education system. It is part of the outreach mission of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, land grant universities, and twenty-nine colleges established for the education of American Indians. Extension offices are found in almost every county in the United States. This ubiquitous presence and the backing by all three levels of government give the extension system great strength.

Extension was made possible with the establishment of the first and second land grant universities, authorized by the Morrill Acts in 1862 and 1890, but not actually established until 1914, with the passage of the Smith-Lever Act. That act stated Extension's mission to aid in the diffusion “among the people of the United States useful and practical information on subjects relating to agriculture, home economics, and rural energy, and to encourage the application of the same”” (SmithLever Act, Sec. 1). Seventy-four years later, Extension restated its mission: “The Cooperative Extension System helps people improve their lives through an educational process which uses scientific knowledge focused on issues and needs”” (Rasmussen 1989, p. 4).

Although the focus of Extension was on farming and home economics, it did not stop there. From the beginning, there was a focus on rural life, including rural and community development. Indeed, it was the Country Life Commission, which President Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) appointed in 1908 to look into ways to improve life in the rural United States, that first proposed a national system to extend the knowledge of each state agricultural college through a department of extension. The hope was that Extension would improve not only agriculture, but also sanitation, education, home making, and country life in general.

In 1955, the Smith-Lever Act was expanded to include educational programming designed to assist local efforts to diversify the agricultural economy by the introduction of manufacturing. Off-farm jobs could create income to supplement farm income. From this modest beginning, county Extension offices became more involved in rural, community, and economic development. For example, in 2002, the Kansas State University Extension Service is organized around four core areas. They are (1) youth (4-H), family and community development, (2) agricultural industry competitiveness, (3) food, nutrition, health, and safety, and (4) natural resources and environmental management. All four areas of Extension education in Kansas are delivered in rural and urban counties. The traditional 4-H clubs are popular with urban and rural families. Also, horticultural programs are particularly popular in urban counties.

At present, Extension continues to flourish. At a national conference held in Florida in February 2002, Extension educators presented a wide array of programs whose intent was to strengthen communities. The programs focused on leadership development, local government management, economic development, e-commerce, land-use planning, and much more. All the programs are created and delivered through a system of county, area, and state Extension educators. In addition, four regional Rural Development Centers help coordinate multistate initiatives.