100 Years of Cooperative Extension
Despite its rural roots, as communities have changed, so has Cooperative Extension, adapting and fine-tuning programs to meet the needs of a changing society. As the nation urbanized, many Cooperative Extension efforts were developed to meet the needs of non-rural and rural audiences alike. Examples include the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP) that has offered free nutrition education classes in urban communities since the 1960s. Thousands of urban and suburban residents have benefited from Cooperative Extension's Master Gardener Program that offers workshops and advice to home, community and school gardeners. Regardless of the population served, Cooperative Extension activities are grounded in university research, and developed in partnership with local communities.
Today, UC Cooperative Extension continues to serve communities throughout California as part of the University of California's Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR), with 200 locally based Cooperative Extension advisors, 130 campus-based Cooperative Extension specialists, 57 county offices throughout the state, and nine research and extension centers. Over a century of service, Cooperative Extension has continued to connect communities with the land grant campus, bringing practical, trusted, science based solutions to Californians.