Cooperative extension service
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Cooperative Extension Service, also known as the Extension Service of the USDA, is a non-formal educational program implemented in the United States designed to help people use research-based knowledge to improve their lives. The service is provided by the state's designated land-grant universities. In most states the educational offerings are in the areas of agriculture and food, home and family, the environment, community economic development, and youth and 4-H. The Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the USDA administers funding for Smith Lever Act services in cooperation with state and county governments and land-grant universities.
Contents |
[edit] Research Funding
The four CSREES research funding programs for land-grant universities are (1) Hatch, (2) Multistate Research (a subset of Hatch), (3) McIntire-Stennis, and (4) Animal Health.[1]
[edit] Hatch Funds
The purpose of the Hatch program is to support "research basic to problems of agriculture in its broadest aspects" by
- establishing and maintaining a permanent and effective national agriculture industry (which includes concern for environmental quality),
- promoting sound and prosperous rural life, and,
- improving the welfare of the consumer (e.g., food safety and nutrition).
[edit] Multistate Research Projects
Twenty-five percent of the funds allocated under the Hatch Act are designated by CSREES for support of Multistate Research Fund (MRF) Projects. These are projects that focus on problems common to two or more states. Suggestions for MRF Projects often originate with the interested scientists; however, directors of the various state agricultural experiment station frequently establish technical committees that are charged with preparing a research project to address broadly recognized problems. Each experiment station director designates the researcher who will represent the station on the technical committee. Individual directors make the decision as to the amount of MRF funds to allocate to a given project for support of research at that station.
[edit] McIntire-Stennis Forestry Research Program
The McIntire-Stennis Act[2] provides for an annual allocation of funds through CSREES for support of research related to forestry (including urban) problems. The basic purpose of the act is to "establish research in forestry as a definite and specific part of the agricultural research programs that are carried out cooperatively by the USDA and the land-grant colleges." The act more specifically defines forestry research as including investigations relating to
- reforestation and management of land for production of timber and related products of the forest, and management of forest and related watershed lands to improve conditions of waterflow and protect resources against floods and erosions;
- management of forest and related rangeland for domestic livestock and game and improvement of food and habitat for wildlife; protection of forest land and resources;
utilization of wood and other forest products; and such other studies as may be necessary to obtain the fullest and most effective use of forest resources.
[edit] Animal Health & Disease Research
The Food and Agriculture Act of 1977,[3] as amended by the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981,[4] provides funding for research to animal health, which is allocated by formula to colleges of veterinary medicine and state agricultural experiment stations. The act specifies that animal research should
- promote the general welfare through improved health and productivity of domestic livestock, poultry, aquatic animals, and other income-producing animals that are essential to the nation's food supply and the welfare of producers and consumers of animal products;
- improve the health of horses;
- facilitate the effective treatment of, and, where possible, prevent animal and poultry diseases in both domesticated and wild animals which, if not controlled, would be disastrous to the United States livestock and poultry industries and endanger the nation's food supply;
- minimize livestock and poultry losses due to transportation and handling;
- protect human health through control of animal diseases transmissible to humans;
- improve methods of controlling the birth of predators and other animals;
- otherwise to promote the general welfare through expanded programs of research and extension.
[edit] Cooperative Extension System
This table summarizes the cooperative extension programs in each state. (Under the 1890 amendment to the Morrill Act, if a state's land-grant university was not open to all races, a separate land-grant university had to be established for each race. Hence, some states have more than one land-grant university.)
[edit] See also
- List of land-grant universities
- Agricultural extension - international administrative
[edit] External links
- American Indian
- Australia
- Australia, West
- Canada
- Caribbean and surrounding areas
- Caribbean, fact sheets
- Danish
- India, all
- India, Hindi and Marathi
- India, Union Territory
- India, other Province links
- Mexico: Contact your local Unidad de capacitacion para el Desarrollo Rural (UNCADER)
- Mexican virtual library
- United Kingdom
- Ireland, all
- Ireland, potatoes
- Ireland, Organic
- Ireland, organic and Farmer's Markets
- Ireland, pesticides
- United States (CREES)
- Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Cooperative Extension Services
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.cuaes.cornell.edu/CUAESWeb/funding.htm Retrieved 2007-10-22.
- ^ PL 87-788
- ^ PL 95-113
- ^ PL 97-98.
- ^ http://www.csrees.usda.gov/qlinks/partners/partners_list.pdf Retrieve 2007-10-22.
- ^ Although Tuskeegee University has been a private university, it began to receive Cooperative Extension funding in 1972.
|
|||||||||||||||||
