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Formally beginning with the appointment in 1906 of Thomas Monroe Campbell as the first extension agent in the United States, the ¿ì»îÊÓƵ Cooperative Extension Program (TUCEP) maintains a rich tradition of serving limited resource and underserved audiences.Ìý In the tradition of the leadership of Booker T. Washington and the original Integrated Research/Extension carried out by Dr. George Washington Carver, TUCEP seeks to bring cutting-edge approaches to 21stÌýCentury problems in Alabama. Although outreach work is carried on throughout the state, TUCEP’s primary target areas are clientele in the Black Belt region of the State.
The focus of outreach and educational services consists of six program areas as follows: (1) Global Food Security, (2) Natural Resource Conservation, Environmental Sustainability, and Climate Change, (3) Community Resource Development, (4) Family, Home, and Youth, (5) Nutrition and Wellness, and (6) Food Systems and Food Safety.
County Agents, Coordinators, Resource Specialists and Faculty contribute most of their time towards meeting specific needs of the people in the communities they serve through our Traditional Extension Projects, Integrated Extension/Research Team Projects and Applied/Participatory Research.Ìý These unique services are delivered by conducting a series of in-service training activities, small group meetings, educational workshops, camps, and site demonstrations that use curriculum-based information.Ìý A number of conferences such as the Farmers Conference (FC), the Booker T. Washington Economic Development Summit (BTW Summit), and the Professional Agricultural Workers Conference (PAWC) are also held every year to support these educational programs.