Cooperative Extension System (United States)
| Formation | 1914 |
|---|---|
| Type | Federally supported educational and agricultural extension network |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Region served | United States |
Parent organization | National Institute of Food and Agriculture (United States Department of Agriculture) |
| Website | nifa.usda.gov |
The Cooperative Extension System (CES) is a nationwide publicly-funded informal education system in the United States. CES programs are administered by land-grant universities in collaboration with federal, state, and local governments. CES was formally established by the Smith-Lever Act of 1914.
CES supports and delivers community education programs in subject areas such as agriculture, health and nutrition, family and consumer sciences, community development, natural resources, emergency preparedness, climate, volunteerism, and human sciences. CES also oversees 4-H, the largest youth development organization in the United States.
CES operates at the federal level through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), an agency under the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). State-level leadership is provided by land-grant universities, and local programming is facilitated by county-level offices.