Limited organizational capacity has hindered Extension's ability to address substance misuse in communities. To inform capacity-building efforts, we obtained Extension educator and health educator feedback on opportunities, challenges and resource needs using the Delphi technique. Opportunities included collaboration and partnerships with local…

Purpose: To assess the performance of agricultural extension managers and the factors influencing it in the case study of Uganda. Design/methodology/approach: Secondary data was analysed using descriptive statistics and econometric models. Findings: The amount of extension grant received and the education of the extension manager positively…

Extension's relevancy in the 21st century is dependent upon the organization's ability to adapt to internal and external pressures. Extension's responsibility to bridge LGUs and communities requires commitment from the entire university and the original agricultural Extension model must embrace an expanded portfolio including complex problems such…

As interest in local food development and urban agriculture increases, the Cooperative Extension Service is challenged to serve local and urban food communities in Arkansas. Urban farmers in Arkansas have differing motivations for operation than those in production agriculture, so understanding agricultural county agents' perceptions of urban…

Purpose: Farmers experience poor health outcomes and are considered 'hard to reach'. Agricultural advisors ('advisors') are uniquely positioned to support and signpost farmers on health issues. This paper explores the acceptability and terms of reference of a potential health role for advisors, and offers key recommendations for developing a…

Purpose: To evaluate pluralistic Extension and Advisory Services (EAS) systems performance and outcomes, and share the experiences made with applying a participatory semi-quantitative approach allowing for cross-country comparability. Design/methodology/approach: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) developed the…

While there is a growing body of scholarship related to LGBTQ+ inclusive practices among adolescents in 4-H, there is currently no research focused specifically on elementary school aged youths. This paper identifies research-based strategies to foster LGBTQ+ inclusivity among elementary school aged youths in 4-H and provides recommendations for…

The challenges faced by youth can hinder them from reaching their full potential or help them grow and develop as they overcome their challenges. Grit and resilience provide young people with the skills, confidence, and perseverance to overcome challenges, pursue their goals and thrive. In this article, the authors examine the complex constructs…

An important pre-condition to diversifying the workforce of land-grant extension services is access to qualified ethnic minority individuals with an awareness and interest in pursuing extension careers. This paper highlights an example of collaboration between the K-State Research and Extension office and an educational research program at Kansas…

Purpose: To assess how the primary actors within farmers' microAKIS (self-assembled knowledge networks) changed as a technology evolved, utilising a case study of precision farming. Methodology: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 35 farmers in two Czech Regions. Findings: The evolution of digital technologies led to an ongoing,…

This study examined factors that shape how nursery growers perceive automated nursery technologies and evaluate how these perceptions relate to growers' adoption. We applied Rogers' (2003) Diffusion of Innovations to understand growers' perceptions of automated technologies to inform Extension programming serving niche audiences in the nursery and…

Understanding and identifying the professional development needs of 4-H youth development professionals should be the first step in developing the Extension workforce. However, 4-H professionals find it challenging to use the Professional, Research, Knowledge and Competencies (PRKC), which consists of 348 unique competency items, to guide…

Purpose: This paper deals with the system level empirical analysis of Extension and Advisory Service (EAS) characteristics in India which help in identifying the functional nature of a pluralistic extension system. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study uses the 'Best Fit' framework for analysis of EAS of 36 organisations and applies criteria of…

Purpose: This paper seeks to understand what influences research and extension professionals' intentions to use AIS approaches and to explore how this can inform implementation and design of more effective AIS. Methodology: We applied the Reasoned Action Approach through focus groups and structured questionnaires with research and extension…

This study sought to provide insight into whether Georgia Extension meets the needs of its clients farming in rural areas, specifically row-crop farmers in rural Southeast Georgia. This qualitative study utilized a semi-structured interview of four purposively selected Southeast Georgia row-crop farmers. Three themes and seven sub-themes emerged…