Time of Opportunity, (A): Energy, Extension, and Economic Development

This article, commissioned by the Ford Foundation in conjunction with the Reducing Rural Poverty through Wealth Creation from Investments in Environmentally Appropriate Energy Strategies and Activities project, focuses on the role that a reenvisioned Cooperative Extension (Extension) orga­nization could play in the revitalization of economically distressed communities. It argues that a refocused Extension organization could draw more extensively upon some of its current, underuti­lized capacities to make much more substantive contributions to communities looking to leverage emerging energy opportunities for economic gain. As evidence of the range and richness of the possible roles of Extension as a catalyst for energy-related economic development, the article provides 13 examples of the ways in which Extension acts like a community change agent. The authors begin the article with an overview of salient trends having an impact on the economy, the energy landscape, and Cooperative Extension. The article concludes with a vision of how Extension could be repositioned to play a much greater role in helping communities capitalize on energy opportunities to drive economic development. [authors]