Cooperative Extension as a Force for Healthy, Rural Communities: Historical Perspectives and Future Directions

ORCID

Buys: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8547-056X

MSU Affiliation

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Department of Food Science, Nutrition and Health Promotion

Creation Date

2026-01-29

Abstract

Cooperative Extension (Extension), part of the land-grant university system, has been engaged in rural communities for more than a century. While the focus of Extension's efforts has largely centered on agriculture, there is an important thread of work that has similarities to public health. As Extension settles into its second century, we are working to be even more engaged in efforts that improve the health and wellbeing of rural communities in particular. Extension faculty and staff are accomplishing this through direct-to-the-population education and through partnerships with more classically oriented public health organizations able to leverage Extension's networks and positive reputation in communities to engage them and improve their health. A component of these partnerships includes Extension faculty and staff increasingly engaging in policy, systems, and environment work and other initiatives that help ensure longer-term, systemic changes more likely to improve health outcomes. In short, Extension clearly changed the agricultural system of the United States, and because of its reach into rural communities, it has the capacity to do for health in rural communities in this second century what it did for agriculture in the first century.

Publication Date

5-6-2020

Publication Title

American Journal of Public Health

Publisher

American Public Health Association

First Page

1300

Last Page

1303

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Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305767