Research Article

Evolution of Extension Programs for Minority Populations in the United States

Authors

• • Keith Fuglie kfuglie59@gmail.com Email Keith Fuglie. (compose email, opens in email app.)
  • National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy
• • Tatiana Borisova
  • USDA, Economic Research Service
• • Benjamin Garber
  • USDA, Farm Production and Conservation

Abstract

In the United States, Cooperative Extension is a nonformal educational outreach activity by public land-grant colleges and universities and funded by a combination of Federal, State, and County government and non-government sources. Since its inception in 1914, the principal objective of Cooperative Extension has been to make university learning and knowledge more accessible to the general population, particularly in rural areas. In the latter part of the 20^th Century, Federal support for extension was extended to minority-serving public colleges and universities in order to provide more equitable access to extension services for ethnic and racial minorities. However, little is known about how these extension programs have evolved. This paper describes the key Federal legislation that established these programs, constructs unique data that quantifies the development of these programs over time, and discusses features of this history that may have relevant lessons for other countries. Even while overall public extension services declined in the United States, extension grew significantly at the 1890 land grant institutes (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and the 1994 land grant institutes (serving native American tribal communities). We estimate that the number of full-time-equivalent (FTE) professional extension educators at 1890 schools grew from 206 in 1992 to 962 by 2024, and extension staff at 1994 institutes, together with staff funded by the Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program, increased from 24 to 71 FTE over the same period. By 2024, these educators made up nearly 8 percent of all Cooperative Extension staff nationwide. However, minority-service extension programs continue to rely heavily on the Federal government for financial support. The U.S. experience in extending extension to under-served populations may have relevance for other countries facing similar challenges in their extension programs.

Keywords: 1890 Land Grant Institutes; 1994 Land Grant Institutes; Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Native American tribal communities; Capacity grants; Matching funds

How to Cite: Fuglie, K. , Borisova, T. & Garber, B. (2026) “Evolution of Extension Programs for Minority Populations in the United States”, Journal of International Agricultural and Extension Education. 33(2). doi: https://doi.org/10.4148/jiaee.20814