Utilizing Andragogy to DevelopExtension Employees' SustainableAgriculture Competencies

Abstract

Ensuring sustainable production patterns is one of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals. Production of cotton requires some of the most intensive uses of pesticides and water resources of any major row crop in the southern United States. Improvement in the environmental stewardship of this crop would have substantial impacts upon the long-term sustainability of agriculture and communities. Cooperative Extension has long played a key role in disseminating new production strategies to farmers, but many newly hired agents step into their roles without extensive education or practical background in row crop production. County and parish extension agents are the change agents representing the state institutions in local communities. We aim to fill this knowledge gap among county agents who work in counties and parishes with cotton production. A multi-state certificate program will be designed to enhance the agents’ knowledge and skills in sustainable cotton production. In turn, they will become more effective in promoting these principles among stakeholders, ultimately leading to an increase in implementation of more sustainable practices. Learning material will be focused on practices and principles of sustainable cotton production based upon the pillars of economic viability, social consequences, and environmental impacts. We will evaluate changes in knowledge, attitude, skill, and aspirations, as well as behavioral changes from agents and their program participants. Cotton producers will not adopt sustainable innovative techniques that improve sustainability, potentially improving community resiliency, unless extension agents are knowledgeable, efficacious, and perceived as credible sources of information as the educational outreach arm of institutions.