Applied Research and Extension
Program Councils and Program Work Teams

APPLIED RESEARCH AND EXTENSION PRIORITIES

• Agriculture and Food Systems
• Community and Economic Vitality
• Natural Resources and Environment
• Quality of Life for Individuals and Families
• Youth Development

Agriculture and Food Systems Priorities

Details of each of these priority areas are provided below. Note that these are not listed in order of priority.

1. Sustainable Agricultural Systems that Minimize Environmental Impact and Maintain Dynamic Farm Profitability
2. Managing Human Resources Especially Related to Identifying, Hiring, and Retaining New Workers and the Education of Middle Management and Owners
3. Identifying Value Added Products and Associated Market Channels
4. Agriculture and Food Systems Responsiveness to Human Health Needs

Sustainable Agricultural Systems that Minimize Environmental Impact and Maintain Dynamic Farm Profitability
Comprehensive approaches are needed to address a full range of types and scales of operations and promote both proven and innovative technologies and production systems. Efforts to minimize environmental impacts of agricultural operations are needed such as air and water quality protection through whole farm nutrient management, integrated pest management, composting of mortalities and wastes, marketing of excess nutrients, low-input production practices, soil health enhancement and protection techniques, and the potential for biofuels, alternative energy, and energy conservation. In our increasingly urban state, positive relationships between farm and non-farm communities are essential to establishment and maintenance of a climate supportive of agriculture. Such relationships are based on responsible practices of the industry and awareness of the positive environmental, economic, and quality of life contributions of agriculture to the community.

Managing Human Resources Especially Related to Identifying, Hiring, and Retaining New Workers and the Education of Middle Management and Owners
The management and labor picture on New York farms has changed dramatically in recent years. There is a great need for skilled and specialized farm labor and farm owners/managers need the human resource skills and training to help recruit and retain this diverse and valuable work force. Owners and managers need to understand labor laws and how they apply to individual farms, be able to effectively communicate with local communities on issues related to farm/migrant labor, and ensure the quality of life for the labor force. In addition it is important that farm laborers feel engaged and that they are offered opportunities for professional advancement. A well-trained and professional workforce is important to the vitality of agricultural industry in New York.

Identifying Value Added Products and Associated Market Channels
Diversification of production and development of innovative markets will help ensure the sustainability of agriculture and related industries in New York. Producers need to be able to assess the potential of new products (e.g., consumer preferences) and markets and have access to the technologies that will add value to their products. Adding value can include improving quality or packaging, extending the season, or developing a new product. Enhancing market opportunities by encouraging agritourism is another means of adding value. Regardless of added value, marketing to expand sales to local markets and/or specialty regional and international markets would help the economic viability of agriculture in New York.

Agriculture and Food Systems Responsiveness to Human Health Needs
There is need to ensure that agricultural policies, and production and food processing practices are in synchrony with the country’s health goals. Example emphases include: specialty crop production, quality and diversification for balanced human nutrition addressing new dietary guidelines; food safety and concerns about BSE and other food-borne hazards, bioterrorism, farm-to-school and other community agriculture initiatives. Such efforts have the dual effect of meeting national health goals and developing greater market appeal for agricultural products.

back to contents

Community and Economic Vitality Priorities

New York State residents are living through a period of remarkable challenges and opportunities. Changes in economic structures, transportation and residential patterns, demographics, and communication technologies have wide-ranging effects on our communities.

Communities need informed leaders and officials, as well as engaged citizens, and the capacity to develop and implement goals and strategies. Leaders that understand their community’s role in a regional context are better positioned to build from strengths and assets and to explore and implement cooperative approaches.

Practitioners and policymakers alike call for comprehensive approaches that value economic opportunities, strong families, community vitality, investments in social and physical infrastructure, and environmental stewardship.

The Community and Economic Vitality Program Council encourages the development of research and extension initiatives that build toward Community and Government Capacity Building for …..

• Effective and sustainable land use decisions consistent with multiple goals related to health, housing, transportation, energy, and economic opportunities;
• Community based decision making that includes an engaged and educated citizenry representative of the community;
• Inter-municipal and regional collaborations, and new public-private partnerships, that spur innovative strategies to address complex community development issues;
• Economic development that promotes both community support for entrepreneurship and agricultural and food system development.

Note: these suggest opportunities for connections with the research and extension priorities of the other 4 Program Councils.

back to contents

Natural Resources and Environment Priorities

1) Improving Watershed and Water Resource Protection and Management, in Agricultural, Rural and Developed Systems

This priority encompasses a wide range of local and regional issues and objectives including water quantity and quality protection, including stormwater management; watershed restoration and management; watershed or basin-wide pollution management (such as for the specification of Total Maximum Daily Loads or TMDLs); forest resource management; agricultural environmental management; upstream impacts on estuaries and marine water quality including fish and wildlife habitat; and threats from invasive plant and animal species.

Agricultural environmental management includes specific measures directly related to watershed and water resources protection such as livestock and aquaculture waste management, pesticide use reduction, and soil resource protection.

Forest management includes urban and community forestry.

Watershed management includes growth management for watershed protection in both agricultural and non-agricultural watersheds.

While the emphasis of this priority is on agricultural and rural systems, it is recognized that New York is a state with significant urbanization and a variety of constituencies often interlinked within large, complex watersheds.

2) Improving Management Practices for Sustainable and Compatible Agricultural, Natural Resource, and Energy Systems

Management options to address land use change, assure more sustainable patterns of population and economic growth, address energy needs and respond to climate change fall under this priority area.

Sustainability considerations include environmental quality, human health and well-being, and economic security.

Technologies or practices to reduce wastes and promote recycling; conserve energy; promote renewable energy sources such as wind and biofuels; prevention and control of aquatic and terrestrial invasive species; and, to reduce or eliminate agriculture’s dependency on chemical pesticides and fossil fuels, are important aspects of this priority.

3) Improving Policy Makers’ and Individual Citizens’ Understanding of Different Planning and Management Practices to Make Natural and Agricultural Systems More Sustainable

Different planning and management approaches for addressing issues such as land use change, odor control of agricultural wastes, human-animal conflicts, consequences of climate change, use of consumer products, and indoor air quality are part of this priority area. Efforts to address this priority are likely to require the integration of data from biological, physical and social sciences. Educational efforts must be on-going due to the short-term tenure of many policy makers.

FY2008 Burning Issues:

Bubbling to the top of the general priorities stated above are the following three more specific priorities that New York State currently faces and will be facing for the next several years:

• Prevention, management, and education on aquatic and terrestrial invasive species.
• Management options for addressing impacts of climate change on NYS water resources (flooding, drought, impacts of land use on riparian zones, urban and rural), invasive species, environment in general, and agriculture; including how to implementing effective and timely (before it is too late) community comprehensive plans in the face of property rights concerns by rural landowners.
• Renewable energy, including as an agricultural niche; local, alternative energy sources; and carbon/air quality issue.

back to contents

Quality of Life for Individuals and Families Priorities

Four Priority Area Groups

Group 1: Nutrition, Health and Wellness

Priority1. Advancing Healthy Lifestyles, Safety, and Wellness

Desired Outcomes

• Behaviors that enhance healthy weight and decrease chronic disease
• Changes in communities that promote active lifestyles
• Reduction in incidence of obesity among vulnerable youth and other priority groups
• Long-term changes in the indicators of chronic diseases associated with obesity and poor health habits (blood lipids, blood pressure, insulin resistance) as measured in young and middle age adults
• Longer-term changes in prevalence of obesity and its related diseases (diabetes, heart disease, some cancers, hypertension, etc) in older adults
• Increased fitness levels
• Increased access to and use of affordable health services especially preventative health care in communities

Priority 2: Improving food security & healthy food systems

Desired Outcomes

• Improved availability and affordability of a safe, healthful and secure food supply
• Increase in local availability of whole, nutritious foods
• Families make more efficient use of their financial and food resources
• Development of sustainable policies and programs
• Provision of training and continuing education for stakeholders in the agriculture, food, and nutrition systems to advance healthy lifestyles, safety and wellness.
• Increased understanding of food borne illness to reduce the incidence and adverse health affects of food borne illness, especially among children and the elderly

Group 2: Life Course

Priority: Strengthening family support and care across the life course--young to aging families and elders.

Desired Outcomes

• Increased engagement of parents (or others providing parental care) in positive, developmentally appropriate activities and interactions with their children
• Strengthened support for parents or others providing parental care for young children in the home
• Increase in developmentally appropriate and affordable infant and child care and early education programs
• Support for workforce development including training, recruitment, and retention for family care across the life course
• Increased knowledge of high quality elder care and dissemination of high quality elder care practices
• Support of and education with informal providers of eldercare and their families
• Improved social support and decreased isolation of elders
• Increased involvement of senior citizens in service programs
• Promotion of healthy human development in family contexts through community programs and activities
• Development of critical life skills through education to reduce stress and reduce opportunities for violent behavior and increased awareness of individual and environmental factors affecting stress and violence
• Increased attention to need for access to and availability of substance abuse treatment and services

Group 3: Environments

Priority: Improving the quality of housing, home, school, and workplace environments and the horticulture environment in communities

Desired Outcomes

• Reduction in the incidence of illness and injury due to environmental factors
• Increased identification and mitigation of environmental health risks, including indoor environmental risks
• More informed decisions about water treatment systems and other water quality choices
• Increased safety of public and private water supplies
• Education on the safety of tap water and the decreased use of bottled water unless needed due to poor water quality
• Better-maintained septic systems through education and policy-making
• Provision of consumer & commercial applicator education on use of green and sustainable pesticides, cleaners and chemicals
• Adoption of safe use and disposal of household chemical products
• Improved home and community landscapes
• Increased adoption of good horticultural practices to improve life quality
• Gains in scientific and technology understanding for youths and adults through horticultural practice that is supported by formal education curricula and standards

Group 4: Family and Consumer Economics

Priority: Enhancing personal skills in household economics, financial literacy, and resource management

Desired Outcomes

• Improved adult and youth financial literacy
• Improved financial management skills of adults and youth
• Enhanced food security
• Improved ability to manage health care expenses
• Increased knowledge of energy costs and skills in energy cost management
• Improved energy conservation and cost savings leaving smaller carbon footprints
• Increased household wealth
• Decreased household debt
• Improved financial plans and status into retirement

back to contents

Youth Development Priorities

Priority #1--Science, Engineering and Technology Literacy
Too many young Americans do not have the science, engineering and technology career skills necessary to succeed – and meet our country’s needs – in the future. In the next decade, our nation will face a significant work force shortage in the critical science, engineering and technology fields that will put our leadership at risk – unless action is taken. With 4-H and the Cooperative Extension System’s direct connection to the cutting-edge research and resources of the nation’s 106 land grant universities and colleges, we are strategically positioned to strengthen the United States’ global competitiveness and leadership in this area. The combination of content and context inherent in 4-H is proven to have a positive effect on youth, resulting in young adults who are prepared to contribute, excel, and lead their communities and work places.

Research links experiential learning with higher student performance in mathematics and science. 4-H has succeeded to providing such learning opportunities to kids.

Desired outcomes:

1. Increase in numbers of youth enrolled in Science, Engineering and Technology projects with focused attention to reaching youth through clubs, school enrichment, camps, and afterschool delivery methods.
2. Participants demonstrate increased knowledge or skill gain related to science and technology.
3. Participants demonstrate improved success in school science and/or increased interest in science and technology.
4. Youth become contributing participants in science and technology related issues in their communities and/or choose science and technology related professions and attribute same at least in part to involvement with the program.
5. Increased number of youth who choose science and technology related college majors/careers.
6. Increase in volunteers recruited who have knowledge and skills in science and technology areas.
7. Strong campus/county partnerships developed to enhance educational curriculum with focus on new areas of science, engineering and technology.

Priority #2--Youth Community Action/Citizenship
Youth Community Action involves young people and adults working together in partnership to make valuable contributions to strengthen or enhance communities. In its broadest sense, YCA refers to the authentic and meaningful engagement of young people in programs, organizations, and communities, where they have or share voice, influence, and decision-making authority. Youth-adult partnerships are more than good youth development. Young people’s fresh ideas, conviction and willingness to work hard make them ideal partners in community change and social justice initiatives. Real youth-adult partnerships require young people and adults to share both power and responsibility, to listen and really hear one another, and to set aside all the stereotypes that each group represents to the other. Youth community Action empowers youth and adults by building life skills through experiential learning.

Desired Outcomes:

1. Increased numbers of youth participating in education programs leading to community action initiatives.
2. Youth involved in train-the-trainer programs related to youth community action.
3. Engagement with communities.
4. Youth demonstrate having gained life skills necessary to meet challenges of adolescence and adulthood in authentic decision-making partnerships with adults as a result of participating in the program.
5. Adults demonstrate knowledge, skills and abilities and behaviors necessary to assist youth developing into productive community members as a result of participating in the program.
6. Documented instances in which youth and adults partner to improve quality of life within the community as a result of participating in the program.

Priority #3--Healthy Living
Healthy youth development strives to help young people develop the inner resources and skills they need to cope with pressures that might lead them to unhealthy and antisocial behaviors. To successfully grow into mature, productive, and contributing citizens, young people need to acquire knowledge, attitudes and behaviors that will ensure current and future health. Additionally they need personal skills such as an ability to understand one’s emotions and practice self discipline; and interpersonal skills such as working with others and developing and sustaining friendships. Early adolescence is a time of rapid change in young people, providing an opportune time to make a positive impact on their development.

Desired Outcomes:

1. Increase in number of youth enrolled in programs geared at healthy lifestyle education.
2. Participants demonstrate increased knowledge, attitudes and behaviors that insure current good health as well as those that assure future well-being such as: healthy lifestyle choices, exercise, nutrition, disease prevention, personal safety, stress management, and effective contraception practices.
3. Reduction in incidence of obesity among youth.
4. Increase in number of adult volunteers recruited who have knowledge and skills related to healthy lifestyle education.
5. Strong campus/county partnerships developed to enhance educational curriculum in promoting healthy lifestyle choices among youth.

Priority #4--Positive Youth Development and Life Skill Development
Youth development is defined as an ongoing process through which young people meet their needs and develop the competencies they perceive as necessary for survival and transition to adulthood. Positive Youth Development is development that is positive and productive for both youth and their communities and occurs form an intentional process that promotes positive outcomes for young people by providing opportunities, choices, relationships, and the support necessary for youth to fully participate. The development of life skills through experiential learning is the foundation of 4-H programming. Healthy youth development strives to help young people develop the inner resources and skills they need to cope with pressures that might lead them to unhealthy and antisocial behaviors.

The 4-H youth development program is unique among youth-serving organizations because it combines the strength of community based youth organization with the knowledge gleaned from university research to provide positive youth development opportunities. It is critical that demonstrated elements of positive youth development and building life skills remain the foundation to all 4-H youth development programs (clubs, camp programs, special interest groups, 4-H Afterschool, etc.).

Desired Outcomes:

1. Program educators and volunteers who work with youth are competent in how to incorporate research findings and process into program design at the local level with a focus on how to meet the needs of youth at various stages of their development.
2. Opportunities exist for youth that focus on specific aspects of life skill development.
3. Curriculum design incorporates the best practices for building life skill competencies and recognizes how different delivery methods may impact life skill development.
4. Research is focused on how youth acquire life skills and how different delivery methods may impact the development of skill competencies.
5. More comprehensive longitudinal research takes place on a wider range of populations that follows children and adolescents well into adulthood.
6. Comprehensive program evaluation is conducted to gather complete information about the impact of youth development programs.

back to contents