Working within COVID-19 restrictions, land-grant university Extension programs worked with agencies and community partners to conduct virtual meetings helping farmers and producers update their knowledge and earn the continuing education credits required to maintain their certifications.
Successful examples include:
- In Delaware, Extension collaborated with the Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association of Delaware to provide annual educational meetings for growers. These virtual meetings were an opportunity to learn about new production practices and regulatory requirements from state and regional experts. Delaware’s Nutrient Management Program also filled a needs gap offering continuing education credit opportunities.
- When physical activity began to decline during the pandemic, Extension educators in Louisiana established a virtual walking group for adults to provide online accountability partners when people needed to social distance and couldn’t physically exercise together in person.
- In Vermont, the Extension Master Gardener Helpline continued to serve the public, pivoting from emails and phone calls about gardening, pest and disease questions to an interactive online platform. Extension programs are also helping K-12 teachers and informal educators benefit from professional learning opportunities to foster increased confidence in their teaching and reduce barriers to engagement with students
Source: National Impacts Database
See the National Impacts Database Report here.
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