Assessing Connectedness to Water as a Catalyst for Change: A Multidimensional Approach to Extension Education on Water Conservation

As issues of water security remain pervasive, extension educators continue to search for strategies to promote water conservation. Social marketing represents such a strategy that can be leveraged as a tool to better understand target audiences and develop strategic communication campaigns to promote practice adoption and behavior change. Research demonstrates that social marketing efforts that focus on understanding and developing personal norms and values hold promise for increasing the implementation of residential conservation behaviors. The construct of Connectedness to Nature is one strategy for developing environmentally aligned personal norms. This study leverages a similar concept, connectedness to water, to understand how an emotional connection to water creates values that promote water conservation. We take an audience segmentation approach to understand how water conservation relates to connection to water, sociodemographic characteristics, and future conservation intentions. We conducted cluster analysis to identify audience segments followed by ANOVAs and Chi-Square tests to determine significant variations among the segments. We found that the strongest effect size was associated with connectedness to water. Interestingly, the higher an individual’s connection to water, the higher the degree to which they were engaged with water conservation practices. This relationship represents an opportunity to tailor relevant extension education strategies to focus on the advancement of an individual’s personal connections to water and perpetuate an enhanced sense of personal obligation to conserve

Urban Agriculture Extension in Florida: Barriers, Needs, and Opportunities

Much of the United States is urbanizing, increasing the importance of developing Extension programs geared toward urban audiences. There has been an increasing interest in urban agriculture (UA) in recent years as an outgrowth of the “local food” movement. The COVID-19 pandemic increased awareness of the importance of food system resilience, in which urban agriculture can play a role. Developing programs specifically targeted to urban farming clientele can bolster Cooperative Extension’s role in supporting urban populations. An important first step to developing these programs is to understand Extension educators’ perceptions, beliefs, and knowledge about UA and the key barriers and opportunities to develop new programs that serve UA clientele. In this qualitative study, researchers conducted 17 semi-structured interviews of Extension educators who conduct UA programming. These educators see UA as a key opportunity for Extension to reach new audiences and increase agricultural awareness in urban areas. The most salient barrier faced to develop or deliver UA programming is a lack of time and resources—both human and financial. This study highlights key barriers and opportunities to develop new Extension programs to support UA and to increase Extension’s visibility in and impact on urban communities

Identifying Factors to Increase the Adoption of Integrated Pest Management Practices: An Audience Segmentation Study

Tailoring programs based on audience needs and priorities is a critical component of effective programs. Audience segmentation research provides an opportunity to identify subgroups based on characteristics that affect their willingness to adopt a certain behavior and allows extension programs to fulfill a variety of needs and target the most important groups within a population. Currently there is minimal research exploring the factors that influence the sustained adoption of environmentally responsible pest management practices. As a result, the purpose of this study was to explore potential extension audience segmentation strategies by evaluating factors related to differences in residents’ intentions to use integrated pest management (IPM) practices.We used online surveys to collect data from a sample of 3,588 residents. We found relatively high intentions to adopt IPM practices but there remains room to increase adoption levels. Responses of undecided ranged from 14.7% to 23.1% across all pest management practices, which demonstrates the potential for an audience to be influenced to adopt an IPM approach. We also found that demographics, complementary conservation behaviors and engagement with the natural environment characterize meaningful subgroups to guide extension program design. Interestingly, we found an interrelationship between the intention and actual adoption of other environmentally responsible practices and the intention to adopt IPM practices. Respondents with greater intent to engage in IPM were also more engaged in general conservation, water conservation and fertilizer best practices. This demonstrates that previous engagement with other environmentally responsible practices may influence the adoption of IPM. Respondents with greater intent to engage in IPM also had less negative experiences with water quality and availability, implying the possible role negative consequences can play as teaching tools in extension program

Evaluating the Organizational Advancement of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Extension Education

In response to global trends and calls for greater inclusivity, the field of extension education has made significant strides towards embracing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles. This study explores the progress of DEI initiatives in the Cooperative Extension System (CES), which has aligned with industry groups, non-profit organizations, academia, and scientific societies worldwide. Through a multifaceted approach, CES has pursued strategies such as intercultural competence (ICC) training for professionals, diversity action plans, and culturally responsive teaching techniques. This study assessed the advancement of DEI in extension education using a survey of DEI specialists across extension organizations in the U.S. Two assessment frameworks guided the study: the Diversity and Inclusion Self-Assessment and the Meyer\u27s DEI Spectrum tool. The results revealed significant variation in the implementation of specific DEI progress indicators, highlighting areas of advancement and opportunities for improvement. Notably, extension organizations demonstrated strong progress in the dimensions of Data and Infrastructure, indicating a commitment to collecting comprehensive demographic data and establishing supportive structures. However, challenges persist, including insufficient administrative support and incomplete organizational commitment. While many organizations have launched initial DEI efforts, sustained progress is essential to ensure the authenticity and effectiveness of these initiatives. The study underscores the importance of continuous assessment and accountability to drive meaningful DEI change within extension organizations. By addressing challenges and building on successes, extension organizations can contribute to a more inclusive and equitable educational landscape that mirrors global aspirations for social justice and diversity

A Framework for the Evaluation of Large-Scale Regional Conservation and Management Strategies

The success of complex, regional strategies depends on the ability to evaluate the process of implementation as well as progress toward achieving intended outcomes. The Southeast Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy and the Comprehensive Strategy for Prescribed Fire to Restore Longleaf Pine in the Southeast United States are examples of regional strategies that require extensive efforts across a large landscape. This article presents a framework developed by North Carolina State University Extension Forestry for evaluating these types of regional strategies so that informed recommendations for resource allocation, new program development, and strategic collaboration can be made