For Cooperative Extension at N.C. A&T, the last program year has been one of success in the face of unprecedented challenges.

The new online publication Solutions for North Carolina documents some of those successes as well as the efforts taken by Extension staff on campus and in the field to adapt their programs and offer education as limited-resource farmers and communities struggled with the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

As Extension Administrator and Associate Dean Rosalind Dale, Ed. D., states in the publication, “Thanks to the skills we teach and the research-based information we provide, many North Carolinians have been able to adapt to major change, to adjust their sails, so to speak, as the winds have shifted.”

Solutions for North Carolina shows the impact of A&T’s Extension work through the eyes of the people served by that work: Small farmers who labored to diversify their crops and extend their growing seasons; 4-H teens who shed the label of “disadvantaged youth” to become leaders; and everyday people who learned to participate in local government and promote positive change.  The publication also documents how Extension adapted to the realities of COVID-19 by producing a wide range of online fact sheets, adapting educational programs to an online format, and supporting food drives and a “Hands to Service” facemask sewing project.

Also newly published is Mission Possible in Motion, Cooperative Extension’s annual report on how its work supports the vision and goals of its Mission Possible strategic plan and aligns with the strategic goals of the CAES Preeminence: Horizon 2023 strategic plan. The publication summarizes progress in areas such as using technology to enhance program delivery, enhancing program development and evaluation, and expanding collaborations and partnerships.

“It hasn’t been an easy year, but it’s been a successful one nonetheless,” said Dale in her Mission Possible in Motion Administrator’s Message. “Aggies adapt. Aggies use creativity and originality when change is called for. And first and foremost, Aggies and Cooperative Extension at A&T remain committed to improving the lives of North Carolinians in underserved communities through good times and bad.”