The Role of the Cooperative Extension System in Economic Development

With Cooperative Extension Service (CES) help in a wide range of economic development activities rural America has come a long way in the last several decades toward erasing some of its socioeconomic problems. A survey of CES' Community and Rural Development programs conducted in late 1985 and early 1986 identified a variety of CES activities related to economic development. At least half of the 56 respondents had worked on community surveys, economic analysis, business management, retention and expansion, and market studies. The most common approach reported was individual counseling followed by workshops and agent training. Specific CES programs in economic development include Ohio's retention and expansion program, Montana's programs to deal with declining agricultural revenue, Washington's community surveys to obtain information for an economic development plan, and Georgia's computer-generated reports of county demography and economic status. CES is on the right track with its economic development programs, but challenges remain. Given the common needs of states, work at the regional level should be continued and expanded. Extension's different programs (home economics, farm management, and community economic development) should join forces to tackle economic problems and should be concerned with agriculture, the service sector, traditional and nonmanufacturing industry, and small business.