AUBURN UNIVERSITY, Ala.—The Alabama Cooperative Extension System has the privilege of assisting Alabamians through a range of topics from agriculture to home life. The eight topics highlighted on the Extension website provide readily available, research-based information to farmers, families, businesspeople and gardeners across the state.
Of the eight topics on the website, Urban Extension tends to stand apart. Alabama Extension’s Urban Extension programming focuses on outreach to urban and suburban communities, including individuals of all ages, families, small business owners, schools and small-scale urban farmers.
Director of Extension at Alabama A&M University, Allen Malone, and associate director Celvia Stovall serve as pivotal leaders for Urban Extension.
What is Urban Extension?
According to Malone, Urban Extension is the national term used to describe Cooperative Extension programs and other resources developed specifically for urban and suburban audiences.
“As America’s landscape evolved from rural farmlands to bustling cities, Cooperative Extension too had to evolve its outreach to include these urban areas,” Stovall said.
Urban Extension provides outreach to the following areas:
4-H and Youth Development
Nutrition, Health and Wellness
Entrepreneurship
Financial Management
Workforce Development
Environmental Stewardship
Urban Agriculture
Family and Child Development
Emergency Management
Successful Aging and Estate Planning
Lawn and Garden
“The mission of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System at Alabama A&M is to provide impactful, relevant educational resources; advance urban and suburban communities; and enhance the quality of life for residents in Alabama,” Malone said.
A Day in the Life
As 1890 Extension administrator, Malone manages all Alabama Cooperative Extension System operations developed by agents from their campus. Alabama A&M is a member of the 1890 land-grant system of historically black colleges and universities that is responsible for teaching, research and Extension outreach. Some of Malone’s responsibilities include strategic visioning, fiscal and reporting accountability and program compliance.
As associate director, Stovall provides oversight for day-to-day operations throughout the state of Alabama.
“I also supervise marketing and communications, information technology and county-based educational programming in the urban areas across the state,” Stovall said.
Malone and Stovall continue to serve as the link between urban and rural farm life.
More Information
For more information on Urban Extension, visit the Alabama Extension website, www.aces.edu.
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