Pick up know-how for tackling diseases, pests and weeds.
Farm bill, farm marketing, agribusiness webinars, & farm policy.
Find tactics for healthy livestock and sound forages.
Scheduling and methods of irrigation.
Explore our Extension locations around the state.
Commercial row crop production in Arkansas.
Agriculture weed management resources.
Use virtual and real tools to improve critical calculations for farms and ranches.
Learn to ID forages and more.
Explore our research locations around the state.
Get the latest research results from our county agents.
Our programs include aquaculture, diagnostics, and energy conservation.
Keep our food, fiber and fuel supplies safe from disaster.
Private, Commercial & Non-commercial training and education.
Specialty crops including turfgrass, vegetables, fruits, and ornamentals.
Find educational resources and get youth engaged in agriculture.
Gaining garden smarts and sharing skills.
Creating beauty in and around the home.
Maintenance calendar, and best practices.
Coaxing the best produce from asparagus to zucchini.
What’s wrong with my plants? The clinic can help.
Featured trees, vines, shrubs and flowers.
Ask our experts plant, animal, or insect questions.
Enjoying the sweet fruits of your labor.
Herbs, native plants, & reference desk QA.
Growing together from youth to maturity.
Crapemyrtles, hydrangeas, hort glossary, and weed ID databases.
Get beekeeping, honey production, and class information.
Grow a pollinator-friendly garden.
Schedule these timely events on your gardening calendar.
Equipping individuals to lead organizations, communities, and regions.
Guiding communities and regions toward vibrant and sustainable futures.
Guiding entrepreneurs from concept to profit.
Position your business to compete for government contracts.
Find trends, opportunities and impacts.
Providing unbiased information to enable educated votes on critical issues.
Increase your knowledge of public issues & get involved.
Research-based connection to government and policy issues.
Support Arkansas local food initiatives.
Read about our efforts.
Preparing for and recovering from disasters.
Licensing for forestry and wildlife professionals.
Preserving water quality and quantity.
Cleaner air for healthier living.
Firewood & bioenergy resources.
Managing a complex forest ecosystem.
Read about nature across Arkansas and the U.S.
Learn to manage wildlife on your land.
Soil quality and its use here in Arkansas.
Learn to ID unwanted plant and animal visitors.
Timely updates from our specialists.
Eating right and staying healthy.
Ensuring safe meals.
Take charge of your well-being.
Cooking with Arkansas foods.
Making the most of your money.
Making sound choices for families and ourselves.
Nurturing our future.
Get tips for food, fitness, finance, and more!
Understanding aging and its effects.
Giving back to the community.
Managing safely when disaster strikes.
Listen to our latest episode!
We are Still Relevant in Today's Society - Family and Consumer Sciences
At Home with UAEX Team Email: AtHomeWithExtension@uada.edu
Social Media Links
Learn from the best Extension Educators on being at home with UAEX!
Original Post by Heather Wingo on July 13, 2022
Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) has gone by other names you may be more familiar with such as Home Economics, Human and Environmental Sciences, Human Ecology, Consumer Economics, and more. FCS content areas have expanded to address the complex social and economic issues that people face today. FCS educators are providing education and tools related to current challenges, such as the obesity epidemic, identity theft, and cyber bullying.
Brief History of Family and Consumer Sciences:
Ellen Swallow Richards, MIT instructor, is credited with the creation of home economics. Richards was a trained chemist and the first to apply chemistry to nutrition. A century ago, home economics was a ticket to higher education for many women. One thing to remember during this time is that there were not many occupational or educational opportunities for women.
In 1994, the field decided to change its name to Family and Consumer Sciences from Home Economics to reflect the complexity of the profession more accurately. As times have changed, so have the issues and needs of daily living. The FCS profession has evolved to meet the current challenges facing individuals, families, and communities and provides an even broader range of knowledge, research, and resources. FCS has been teaching 21st Century skills since 1994. These skills include the following: problem-solving, decision-making, goal setting, cooperation, management, leadership, communication, and critical thinking.
Family and Consumer Sciences Today:
Family and Consumer Sciences believes the family is the cornerstone of society. Family can be defined many ways, for instance a biological family or friends as chosen family, in both cases the family is made up of individuals all functioning in a community. By aiming to create healthy and sustainable families, family and consumer sciences is empowering individuals and enabling communities to thrive present day.
Family and Consumer Science professionals are in multiple settings and work to help individuals, families, and communities make informed decisions to improve their quality of life. These professionals apply math, science, and communication skills in their efforts. FCS education empowers individuals to make informed decisions in everyday living and working situations. The field represents sub areas such as the following:
A large push today is for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education. FCS has many connections to STEM through food technology, nutrition science and textiles to early STEM skill development to critical and innovative thinking to effective communication and the ability to work in teams successfully. FCS is an applied science, technology, and math through context such as nutrition, food science, apparel, textiles, and interior design. FCS promotes STEM philosophy through problem-based instruction pulling from social, biological, and chemical sciences. There is a 3:1 female to male participation which means FCS perfect to introduce and promote STEM to all students, but strategically placed to offer a STEM introduction to females.
What FCS looks like to the Cooperative Extension Service in Arkansas:
The Cooperative Extension System is a nationwide, non-credit educational network. Each U.S. state and territory has a state office at its land-grant university and a network of local or regional offices. These offices are staffed by one or more experts who provide useful, practical, and research-based information to the public in rural areas and communities of all sizes.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s Family and Consumer Science professionals work to achieve the following in the state of Arkansas:
Arkansas collegiate FCS programs:
More than ever, we need FCS in our schools, communities, and families. It is easy to recognize the importance of literacy and math skills for future success, too often we do not recognize the importance positive human relationships, good nutrition, and a balanced lifestyle play in the ability of individuals ability to fulfill their role as a productive citizen and to raise strong families. Often, enormous amounts of taxpayer dollars are spent attempting to deal with the challenges faces but consequently overlook the importance of prevention.