Trends Affecting Extension Programming
Today's educational clienteles demand new, specialized programs and services. They also expect U of I Extension to maintain its historic level of programming in traditional areas. In addition, potential new clientele of Extension remain unaware of this educational system and its ability to take the university to the people. The conflict between increasing demands and diminishing resources has stressed the capacity of Extension to address the many needs of the citizens of Illinois.
The following are trends that will affect the new structure of U of I Extension as it evolves to develop more effective educational programming.
• Agriculture
Illinois agriculture feeds the people of Illinois and the world. At the state level, agriculture is also a major component of the Illinois economy. It generates nearly $8 billion annually from the sale of farm-level commodities such as corn, soybeans, and livestock. Additional dollars support the state's economies through ag-related industries such as farm machinery manufacturing and food processing. Illinois agriculture also ranks third nationally in the export of agricultural commodities, with more than $3 million annually.
Agriculture in Illinois is a dynamic industry which has changed dramatically over the years. Since 1980, long-established trends in Illinois agriculture have accelerated. In 1980, the Illinois held 107,000 farms. By 1990, that number dropped to 83,000, and it was estimated at 77,000 last year. At the same time, the average farm size has increased from 269 acres in 1980 to an estimated 365 acres in 1995.
The 1996 Starch FARMS Study, which surveyed readers of farm magazines, found that more than 40 percent of all farmers have some college education. Nearly six percent have advanced degrees. Farmers today have truly become specialists in their own right. However, with the onrush of information and technology, farmers have had to become even more sophisticated in their management skills, increasing the demand for agricultural information and education.
Although the number of farmers in Illinois has declined, the private sector that supports farmers (equipment manufacturers; fertilizer and pesticide dealers and applicators; seed and pesticide company representatives; professional consultants; farm managers; etc.) is a strong component of the agricultural system. To improve their ability to support farmers more effectively, they too demand unbiased information and educational programs. As a consequence, U of I Extension has focused more recent educational efforts on this support sector to train the trainer, resulting in a broader impact. As this sector becomes more sophisticated with the use of agricultural and information technology, the demands for unbiased, cutting-edge information will increase.
The shift in population from rural areas to urban centers has changed the types of educational needs of many Illinois citizens. The rural-urban interface requires more educational efforts related to the effects of agriculture on the environment and natural resources. In addition, citizens in urban centers are demanding more services related to urban horticulture and forestry, resulting in a flourishing of industries to meet these demands. These private-sector industries also require unbiased, cutting-edge information to ensure that their services are in the best interest of public health and protection of natural resources.
• Youth
Today's youth face opportunities and risks that their parents could not have imagined 20 or 30 years ago. Leadership and decision-making skills take on increasing importance for adolescents from all backgrounds. Youth have increased needs for educational programs and supportive adults that foster development of these "life skills" to help them grow up to be healthy, happy, and productive members of society.
Even high achievers face risks in today's society, and rural youth are no longer insulated from urban influences and problems. Children ages 10 to 17 face increased pressures for drug and alcohol abuse, sexual activity, delinquency, youth violence, and gangs. Research has shown that dollars spent on educational programs for high-risk youth are well-spent. Such programs have been proven to keep youth in school and give them the skills necessary to become productive citizens. The estimated return is five-to-one: in other words, for every dollar spent on educational programming five dollars are saved in terms of the cost of crime and incarceration.
The youthful population is projected to grow at a rate of 1 percent per year for the next 15 years. In addition, more and more teenagers are working outside the home -- with an estimated aggregate income of $99 billion in 1996. These trends, in total, will have a major impact on agencies that help youth build skills necessary to function in an increasingly complex and technical society.
• Families
The fastest-growing segment of the labor force is mothers with children less than three years of age, and the trend is expected to continue through the turn of the century. Furthermore, corporate downsizing and the loss of high-paying manufacturing jobs, coupled with an increase in the number of lower-paying service sector jobs, are trends that have affected families. Many people now work "nontraditional" hours in the evening and on the weekend. At the same time, teens have entered the work force in great numbers and compete for some of the same low-paying service sector jobs as adult workers. The implications of these labor trends are great for child care, family relationships, and the financial and nutritional maintenance of households.
Research has also pointed to an increasing sophistication of consumers in the marketplace, regarding both product and quality awareness and environmental concerns.
Another major evolving trend is the aging of the population. Of the four million elderly poor, three-fourths are women with Social Security as their only income. At the other end of the age spectrum, the percentage of American children classified as poor increased from 15.4 percent to almost 22 percent between 1974 and 1994. Today, 25 percent of all American children under the age of six live in poverty.
• Community and Economic Development
Illinois provides an excellent example of Peter Drucker's new factors of production, where the traditional factors of production--land, labor, and capital--have not disappeared but have become secondary to knowledge. The vast untapped resource to be developed is people--human resources and the knowledge that people can apply to problems and opportunities. Programs that enhance the ability of citizens to plan for and manage development in their communities are critical to sustaining the quality of life and viability of communities and economies in rural Illinois. Extension contributes to community and economic development through programs in leadership development, local government education, volunteer management, small business management, and needs and resource assessments. Extension provides data, information, and technical assistance to community leaders. This assistance helps community leaders create the foundations for community-level or regional-level decisions. Extension supports the strategy of collaboration for all communities as community leaders develop networks of information, resources, and assistance among local, regional, and statewide organizations.
Illinois has become a significant tourist destination for people both in and out of the state. Travel contributed $15.9 billion to the Illinois economy in 1995, employing 240,000 Illinois residents. Almost 30 percent of these jobs are located outside of the Chicago metropolitan area. Community leaders throughout Illinois have recognized that tourism represents one of the most viable economic development options available to them.
Tourism is just one example of the many small businesses that exist in Illinois. Small businesses of all types would benefit from a wide range of educational programming, much in the same way as farmers have during the past 75-year history of U of I Extension. Such programming would help small businesses which do not have the time or the staff to routinely search for contracting opportunities, understand regulations or laws, or successfully master the complexity of government contracting.
• Technology
The Internet provides a paradigm shift in the ways we access information and do business. People from all walks of life are finding that the Internet has the ability to break down barriers of distance and time, allowing for more efficient communications. Communication though computer technology allows people to more easily carry out fundamental business transactions. Today people are sending electronic mail requesting information from an Extension specialist on one of the College's "Ask an Expert" Web pages. Tomorrow they may be using a digital camera to send a photo of a plant problem to a crop consultant.
The Extension organization in Illinois must remain flexible enough to explore these new technologies and to find ways for the Internet to improve efficiency and effectiveness.