2. The integration of research and extension in the
USA – the experience at Cornell University
Helene Dillard, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension
Professor, Plant Pathology
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York, USA

3. Cooperative Extension Structure
 Federal Government
 Land Grant University System
 National Cooperative Extension Service
 Cornell University
 Cornell Cooperative Extension
 Working together for a strong partnership to assist
communities

4. Federal Government
 1862 Established a Land Grant University in every
state
 1914 Established the national Cooperative
Extension Service and placed this service under the
guidance of the United States Department of
Agriculture
 Agriculture Research Service
 National Institute of Food and Agriculture
 Competitive Grants

5. Land Grant University
 Land Grant Universities were established under the
Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. Their purpose was
to educate citizens in agriculture, home economics,
mechanical arts, and practical professions.
 The result was the establishment of at least one
institution of higher education in each state

6. National Cooperative Extension
Service
 Formalized in 1914 with the Smith Lever Act
 The Act established the partnership between the land
grant agricultural colleges and the US Department of
Agriculture to provide for cooperative agricultural
extension work
 Federal funding is provided to support the national
system
 Nationwide non-credit educational network
 Each state and territory has an office at its land grant
university and a network of local or regional offices

7. United States of America Federal Government
United States Department of Agriculture
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Smith Lever Hatch Competitive Grants
Federal Form Funds Federal Form Funds
(Extension) (Research)
Land Grant Land Grant Land Grant
University (LGU) University (LGU) University (LGU)
Extension Faculty All Faculty All Faculty
and and
Extension Field Staff Extension Field Staff

8. Extension Hierarchy

10. Cornell Cooperative Extension
 Established in 1911 - “Extension Teaching”
 Headquarters are at Cornell University
 Hosted in the College of Agriculture and Life
Sciences (CALS) and in the College of Human
Ecology
 CALS:
 3,200 Undergraduate enrollment
 1,000 Graduate Enrollment
 380 Professorial Faculty in the College

11. Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

13. Cornell Cooperative Extension
 Mission Statement:
The Cornell Cooperative Extension educational system
enables people to improve their lives and communities
through partnerships that put experience and
research knowledge to work.

14. Cornell Cooperative Extension
Is a partnership involving…
 412 extension educators in New York State
 200 faculty and staff in CALS and Human Ecology
 40,000 volunteers participating in both program
and organizational leadership

15. Cornell Cooperative Extension
Is a partnership involving…
103 land-grant institutions across the United States
Statewide and community agencies, organizations,
and businesses
New York State’s people

16. Cornell Cooperative Extension
Sources of Income, 2008
Extn. Assn
Donor .2%
9.8% County 28.2%
Grants & Contracts
24.2%
Federal 9.3%
State 28.3%

17. Cornell Cooperative Extension
Five major program areas; guided by a program
council comprised of stakeholders, faculty, and
extension field staff
 Agriculture and Food Systems
 Youth Development
 Natural Resources and Environment
 Quality of Life for Individuals and Families
 Community and Economic Vitality

18. Agriculture and Food Systems

19. Agriculture in New York State
 $4.5 billion contribution to the farm economy
 Agriculture is 25% of the state’s land area
 34,000 farms
 7.5 million acres
(3 million hectares)

20. Agriculture in New York State
 The USDA defines small farms as farms with
$250,000 or less in sales of agricultural
commodities per year
 In the US, 91% of all farms are small farms
 In New York, 90% of the farms are small farms
 The number of farmers markets in New York State
has increased from 240 in 2000, to 475 farmers
markets in 2010

21. Agriculture in New York State
 Milk is New York’s leading agricultural product
 Milk sales account for one-half of total New York
agricultural receipts
 New York is the 3rd leading milk producer in the
USA
 Milk production in 2007 was 12.1 billion pounds
(5.5 billion kilos) with a value over $2.4 billion
 Other livestock include: cattle, hogs, pigs, sheep,
lambs, chickens, turkeys

22. Agriculture in New York State
 Fruits (valued at $333 million)
 Apples (rank #2 in USA)
 Grapes (rank #3 in USA), wine and juice
 Tart cherries, pears, strawberries
 Vegetables (valued at $648 million)
 Cabbage (rank #2 in USA)
 Sweet corn (rank #4 in USA)
 Snap beans (rank #4 in USA)
 Onion, tomato, pumpkin, cucumber, squash, pea, etc

23. Agriculture in New York State
 Field Crops
 Corn, oats, wheat, soybeans, hay, potato, dry beans
 Maple Syrup
 Ranks #2 in USA
 Floriculture Crops
 Mainly bedding and garden plants

24. Cornell Cooperative Extension
 New York Agriculture is diverse and widespread
throughout the state.
 Extension educators must
 Understand the farming community in which they work
 Have good communication/people skills; ability to
facilitate discussions
 Have cutting edge subject matter knowledge
 Use appropriate extension/teaching techniques for
different audiences

25. Cornell Cooperative Extension
Key ingredients:
 Local knowledge
 Community wisdom
 Research & scholarly knowledge

26. Program Influences
Program
Work
Teams
Applied College
Research Priorities
National CCE Local
Priorities Programs Needs

27. Cornell Cooperative Extension
Individual Consultations
Classes
Short Courses
Applied Research
Mass Media
Distance Learning
Community Collaboration

28. Training for Extension Educators
 Orientation for new staff
 Technical Training (in subject areas)
 Process Training (planning, evaluation)
 Workshops
 Online courses
 Study groups
 Program work teams
 Attendance at professional societies

29. Keys for Success
 Extension work is linked to and supported by
federal, state, and local governments
 There is an extension system in each state
 Reliable source of funding
 Local offices in the counties are staffed with skilled
extension agents/educators with a college
education (Bachelor and Master degrees) – this
educational requirement is very important

30. Keys for Success, continued
Some university professors are assigned formal extension
responsibilities - for example, 70% research and 30% extension
OR
___% Research + __% Classroom Teaching ___% Research + __% Extension Teaching

31. Keys for Success, continued
 Extension work is integrated with university research
and university teaching - Integration of teaching,
research, extension
 There is a strong University commitment to Extension
work with stakeholders (farmers)
 A strong working relationship is established between
local extension educators and university educators
 There is joint participation of extension educators and
professors in field trials, field demonstrations, and
preparation of fact sheets, bulletins, and web pages

32. Keys for Success, continued
 Access to computers, digital technologies and
distance learning facilities
 Access to radio and television
 Ability to travel for on-farm visits and
troubleshooting
 Access to professional development opportunities
 Ability to earn a good salary
 Extension educator is trusted and respected in the
community

33. Keys for Success, continued
 Programs for rural youth and beginner farmers
 Programs that demonstrate the health benefits of
nutritious food from the farm
 Programs on farm business management
 Programs on environmentally safe and sustainable
food production (reduced pesticide use)
 Programs focused on developing long term,
sustainable solutions

34. Extension methodologies
 Information flow is complex and multidirectional
between research, extension and the farmer
 Learning occurs as a continuous dialogue among
groups rather than linear descending teacher
(technical) to student (producer)
Successful strategies promote interaction and
creation of “continuous social conversations”

35. Communication is very important
 Printed materials - text, photos, graphics, maps,
databases
 Audio (radio), video (television), rural telecasts,
telephone helplines
 Face to face – producer discussion groups
 Internet technology – websites, webinars, online
videos (you-tube), digital diagnostics, Facebook,
Twitter, blogs
 Cellular phones – “apps” (=applications, downloads
for i-phones)

36. Extension 2010 and beyond
 Food security
 Strong markets
 Quality of life
 End to poverty
 Emerging issues
 Technological innovation
 Strengthen small and medium size agricultural
producers

37. Final Thoughts on Extension
 Focused on education for farmers & their
communities
 Linked to research based knowledge from the
universities, research centers, and extension centers
 Collaboration with the people in the communities
 Trusted in the community
 Not biased
 No regulatory function

38. There are challenges!
The extension system is not perfect!
 Budget cuts; insufficient funds; local vs regional
presence
 Hiring professors who want to do extension work in
addition to research
 Hiring extension workers who want to help others
improve their quality of life
 Communicating in many different ways
 Maintaining the capacity to respond to many
different and competing needs in the community

39. Internet resources
 http://www.rimisp.org
 http://www.inia.cl
 http://extensionenespanol.net/index.cfm
 http://www.e-agriculture.org
 http://iica.int

40. Internet resources
 http://www.worldbank.org
 http://www.extension.org/
 http://www.cce.cornell.edu
 http://www.smallfarms.cornell.edu/
 http://www.fsis.usda.gov/En_Espanol/

41. Global Extension Resource
 Strengthening Agricultural Extension and Advisory
Systems: Procedures for Assessing, Transforming,
and Evaluating Extension Systems
Written by Burton E. Swanson & Riikka Rajalahti
Published by The World Bank
Agriculture and Rural Development Discussion Paper
45

43. US Agency for International Development
 Modernizing Extension and Advisory Services (MEAS)
 Proposal funded for $9 million in 2010
 Partnership includes 5 universities and 7 organizations:
 Michigan State, Cornell, UC Davis, University of Florida,
North Carolina A&T
 Catholic Relief Services, Cultural Practices LLC,
International Food Policy Research Institute, Winrock
Intl, Sasakawa Africa Fund for Extension Education,
Sasakawa Africa Association, Alliance for a Green
Revolution in Africa

44. USAID MEAS Project - 2010
 20 Target Countries
 Focus on three major key areas
 Develop a wide range of training materials
 Conduct case studies and pilot projects
 Conduct in-depth assessments of extension in 20 target
countries

45. USAID MEAS Project
Bangladesh Mali
Cambodia Mozambique
Ethiopia Nepal
Ghana Nicaragua
Guatemala Rwanda
Haiti Senegal
Honduras Tajikistan
Kenya Tanzania
Liberia Uganda
Malawi Zambia