Extension agents: A frontline resource for minority farmers and animal disease outbreaks

Through the MATCH Project, the Cooperative Extension Program at North Carolina A&T University (NC A&T) revealed that many minority farmers are not fully informed about the issue of biosecurity, the responsible agencies, or emergency disease outbreak response plans. In working to address community preparedness in their service areas, NC A&T focused on Extension agents as important frontline resources for minority farmers in regard to animal disease outbreaks. As a result, NC A&T sought to build the capacity of Extension staff to understand the nature of emerging infectious diseases and how to properly respond to disease outbreaks. Additionally, they worked to building community awareness through educational forums for minority farmers.