Extension

As a technical and content support system for NC Cooperative Extension, our faculty and staff actively develop, deliver and evaluate extension-based outreach and engagement programs, helping families gain new skills and knowledge in order to improve their overall well-being.

Our educational programs address a wide spectrum of individual and family needs. Whether focused on health, nutrition and food safety or parenting, aging and human development, our outreach sustains our communities.

Our Extension Program Focus

NC FFA

The North Carolina FFA Association provides leadership development, personal growth, and career success opportunities for students across the state. We are creating the next generation of leaders who will change the world through classroom instruction, work-based experiential learning, and leadership development!

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4-H

4-H is the largest youth development organization in North Carolina. Hundreds of thousands of young people learn the skills to succeed through 4-H educational programs and camps. NC State Extension and the Cooperative Extension Program at N.C. A&T State University conducts 4-H programs where youth learn by doing.

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NC Disaster Information Center

Natural disasters of all types may impact North Carolina. From wildfires, to snow/ice storms, to tornadoes, to flooding and even hurricanes, residents of North Carolina always need to be ready and prepared to deal with a disaster.
The key to keeping your family safe is to have a plan and to know what to do in the event of severe weather or other disasters. This site will help connect you with resources so that you can be prepared for whatever strikes.

Find how to prepare, respond and recover 

More in My Basket

We work to improve the welfare of the family through programs that educate, influence public policy, and help families put research-based knowledge to work in their lives.

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Food Safety and Home Food Preservation

Extension offers a wealth of educational programs that address public health issues, improve economic well-being, and help people make healthier, better-informed decisions. Programs range from local foods, food safety, and food preservation to gardening and environmental efforts.

Program details 

Local Food

The objective of the Extension Local Food Program is to facilitate the production, marketing, and consumption of food grown, caught, and raised within North Carolina. The program works with many organizations and stakeholders to help our communities in the development and expansion of local food systems across the state.

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Military Outreach

North Carolina State Extension Military Outreach (NCSEMO) is proud to support the more than 134,000 active duty, reserve, and guard members, 109,000 military youth, and 775,000 veterans who call North Carolina home. Service members need to know that their families are surrounded by supportive citizens, offering a cadre of services and resources to help ease the stress of deployments and family separations.

Learn how we support our military 

Career Pathways Lab

The Career Pathways Lab focuses on teaching, research, outreach, and program evaluation for helping people prepare for and advance in food, agricultural, natural resources, and human sciences careers. This work includes partnering with NC State Extension and the Rural Works! Initiative to provide exceptional Extension internship opportunities. 

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Faithful Families

Faithful Families works directly in communities of faith across the country to promote health for individuals, families, and local communities. The practice-tested program is open to all faith and religious traditions and engages faith communities in health education, environmental changes to support health, and community-wide health initiatives.

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#PassTheMicYouth

​#PassTheMicYouth is an award-winning Extension program that amplifies the voices and contributions of young people, shines a spotlight on youth-led civic and community engagement, and provides practitioners with resources for teaching social impact storytelling.

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EFNEP – Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program

EFNEP, the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, offers free (income guidelines apply) nutrition classes to help families and youth cook healthy meals at home, be more active, save money on food costs, and handle food safely. In partnership with the Eat Smart Move More NC initiative, EFNEP Educators help families and youth adopt positive health behaviors to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. EFNEP is a program of Cooperative Extension through NC State University and NC A&T State University.

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FEEd Lab

From the kitchen to the classroom, the Feeding & Eating Lab (FEEd Lab) works to improve children’s health and learning by transforming how they experience food in early childhood. Programs focus on supporting educators, families, and communities with practical, evidence-based strategies that build children’s confidence, curiosity, and lifelong relationships with food in everyday learning environments through education, exposure, and access to healthy foods.

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The Hub for Food Systems Communication and Engagement

From gene editing to artificial intelligence, technology can radically change our food system. With these changes, engaging stakeholders and communities in dialogue around new agri-food technologies is critical to enhance the social sustainability of these innovations. The Hub works with researchers and industry leaders to develop participatory science communication efforts to increase transparency across our food system – from production to consumption. Learn how the Hub can support your emerging technologies today!

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Farm to Early Care and Education

Farm to Early Care and Education engages with county-based teams to promote local food purchasing and experiential learning around food and gardening to children in child care settings.

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Extension Master Food Volunteer Program

The NC State Extension Master Food Volunteer (EMFV) program provides North Carolina residents the opportunity to engage with their communities by supporting NC Cooperative Extension programming in the areas of nutrition, cooking, food safety, and local food. Volunteers complete a core training with their Family and Consumer Science (FCS) Agent before working within the community, helping to build capacity and deliver high-quality, evidence-based interventions.

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Donation Station Program

Donation Stations seek to improve access to fresh, locally-grown food while supporting the farmers who grow it. Using a simple farmers-market based approach, volunteers collect food and monetary donations from farmers market shoppers, buy directly from farmers at the market at full asking price, and donate the resulting food to a local hunger relief agency. Donation Stations are designed to combat local food insecurity while raising awareness that a healthy local food system must include every member of the community.

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Health Extension for Diabetes

The 4-month Health Extension for Diabetes (HED) program is a free diabetes program recognized by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) as a practice-tested diabetes support program. The program connects Family and Consumer Science (FCS) Extension Agents delivering programming with local clinical partners, including health professionals (e.g., RDNs, RNs, Pharmacists) who are certified diabetes care and education specialists (CDCES). The HED program engages adults (age 18 or older) living with type 2 diabetes who have limited access to diabetes care and consists of eight biweekly group sessions, with personalized follow-up between sessions to address participants’ goals and challenges.

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PhytoRx Families

PhytoRx Families is an innovative produce prescription program that aims to improve health among rural families at risk of food insecurity and diet-related chronic disease. This program involves NC State and NC Cooperative Extension collaborating with NC State Plants for Human Health Institute, East Carolina University, rural health clinics, and a farmer/food hub and consists of (1) training healthcare providers at clinics via a 4-hour self-paced virtual course on nutrition basics, (2) sixteen weeks of fresh FV (seasonal and locally sourced as much as possible), delivered weekly to participants’ homes by a local farm/food hub, (3) and a sixteen-week nutrition/culinary education program with in-person sessions every other week for the entire family delivered by EFNEP Educators at local Extension offices.

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Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) – South

The Southern Region of the USDA funded Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network grant represents 13 states and 2 US territories. FRSAN-South is committed to the well-being of our farming and ranching communities and supporting agricultural resilience. Our focus is on strengthening community relationships and cultivating strategic partnerships while optimizing resource sharing and elevating our partners for continued growth and long-term success. Our goal is to expand our collective capacity to serve farmers, ranchers, and other agriculture-related workers experiencing stress in our communities.

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North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission Agricultural Leadership Development Program

The NCTTFC ALDP (North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission Agricultural Leadership Development Program) is a two-year leadership program in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS). It empowers farmers and agricultural professionals to further develop personal, professional, and civic leadership skills while exploring agricultural policies, commodities, and industry challenges. In addition to in-state study tours throughout North Carolina, participants also travel to Washington, D.C. (policy tour), a domestic U.S. agricultural region (California, Texas), and an international trip (Brazil).

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Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less

Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less is an online weight management program that uses strategies proven to work for weight loss and maintenance. Each lesson informs, empowers and motivates participants to live mindfully as they make choices about eating and physical activity.

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