Changes in agriculture during the past 100 years have been countless. All the way from plowing with horses to tractors, the Cooperative Extension Service was there to support innovation. From raising backyard chickens to being able to buy fresh eggs from your favorite farmers market or supermarket, Cooperative Extension was there. From sugar cane and pineapple to diversified agriculture, Cooperative Extension was there to smooth the transition. From macadamia nuts being a relatively obscure Australian nut to becoming a major Hawaii economic crop, Cooperative Extension provided expertise.

But, the Cooperative Extension Service is not just about farming and agriculture. Extension has been there from sewing by hand, to sewing by machine, to store-bought clothes. For over a century, Cooperative Extension has worked with farmers, homemakers, consumers and businesses. Extension also has been heavily involved with guiding Hawaii’s youth through 4-H programs.

QUESTION: What is the Cooperative Extension Service?

ANSWER: The Cooperative Extension Service is a part of the largest nontraditional education system in the world. Cooperative Extension is found in almost all 3,150 counties in United States and all its territories.

In Hawaii, Cooperative Extension is part of the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Although classrooms and laboratories typically come to mind as the key elements of a university, Cooperative Extension is the third major component of land grant universities. It is through Cooperative Extension that university discoveries are brought to the community to help solve practical problems. Extension of knowledge into the community is a major mission of Cooperative Extension in Hawaii and beyond.

Q: How does CTAHR Cooperative Extension affect the lives of people in Hawaii?

A: CTAHR has 28 extension and research stations across Oahu, Hawaii island, Maui, Molokai and Kauai. Approximately 280 people are directly helped daily by the equivalent of 65 full-time extension agents and specialists.

Here is a small sample of what Cooperative Extension accomplished during 2013:

» Conducted over 900 workshops and activities that addressed family and community health.

» Master Gardeners helped school and home gardeners statewide.

» Developed recommendations to handle the coffee borer.

» Continued ongoing sale of fruit and vegetable seeds that were developed specifically for growing conditions in Hawaii.

» Expanded a downloadable CTAHR publications database that reflects over a century of study by researchers and extension agents in the college and can be found at www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/site/BrowsePubs.aspx.

» Provided an Aquaculture Training Online Learning, or ATOLL, Program that provides practical training in aquaculture and aquaponics. The new and improved ATOLL program has helped over 400 students from around the world learn about fish farming and aquaponics.

Q: Who benefits from Cooperative Extension?

A: Everyone! To learn more about CTAHR Cooperative Extension, see www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/site/Extprograms.aspx.

Happy 100th birthday, Cooperative Extension!

Alan Titchenal, Ph.D., C.N.S., and Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S., are nutritionists in the Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, University of Hawaii-Manoa. Dobbs also works with University Health Services.