The purpose of this study was to determine what job responsibilities Extension 4-H youth development professionals (n = 241) chose to spend their work time doing and how the workload related to their job satisfaction and burnout. They were asked to rank order seven common, predetermined job responsibilities, based on the 4-H Professional, Research, Knowledge, and Competencies ( 4-H PRKC), and to identify their level of job satisfaction and burnout. The study utilized quantitative methods for gathering data from 4-H youth development Extension professionals from 6 land-grant universities. Over the past 25 years, there has been an increase in research investigating burnout and job satisfaction. Burnout is a serious issue that can lead to decreased productivity for the employee and increased costs for the employer. Finding the connections among burnout, job satisfaction, and work environment is important to help reduce problems, including work overload. Based on the previous research on workload, burnout, and job satisfaction, 4-H youth development professionals are prime candidates for experiencing low job satisfaction and increased burnout, which may lead to professionals leaving the organization early. To determine the workload, 4-H youth development professionals were asked to rank seven job responsibilities for each of the domains that are common to the youth development profession. The job responsibility that had the lowest mean of any from the six domains was #1 "using volunteer committees" in the volunteerism domain, with 71.9% of the respondents ranking it as one of the top two job responsibilities within the domain. Determining job satisfaction related to the individual job responsibilities was the first measurement used in identifying the level of job satisfaction in the survey. The youth development domain's job responsibility #6 "develop programs to practice life skills" provided the respondents the greatest degree of job satisfaction (M = 1.93, SD= 0.72) of any of the responsibilities with the six 4-H PRKC domains. The second instrument used to assess job satisfaction for 4-H youth development professionals was the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), in which the mean score was 3.72 (SD= 0. 79). The third and final measurement used to determine job satisfaction was the self-reported overall level of job satisfaction. The mean for the self-reported overall job satisfaction was 2.20 (SD= 0.83). The greatest degree of burnout (M = 3 .21, SD= 1.26) within any of the domains was in the youth development domain with job responsibility #7 "dealing with conflict management." This job responsibility also indicated a negative relationship between the workload rank score and job responsibility burnout (r = -0.250). The overall mean for the Burnout survey was 3.84 (SD= 0.86). The greatest burnout came from the work within the youth development domain. The 4-H youth development professionals reported feeling very little overall burnout related to their job. The overall self-reported mean for burnout was 2.75 (SD=1.17). They also reported being satisfied with their current job (M= 2.20, SD= 0.83).

In 2013, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture of the Republic of Ghana implemented a reformed food and agriculture sector development policy (FASDEP II) to reduce poverty among the poorest subsistence farmers in the nation. These extension efforts have been unsuccessful. The purpose of this ethnographic case study was to understand the perceptions of subsistence farmers in the Savelugu-Nanton District (SND) who participated in FASDEP II on how the program had affected their ability to meet their subsistence needs. The theoretical framework of collaborative advantage was used to analyze farmers' opinions of how the decentralized, pluralistic extension policy did or did not result in effective collaborations to benefit both farmers and support organizations. Data from unstructured interviews with 12 male farmers, selected through purposeful sampling, were analyzed by inductive coding and thematic analysis. Farmers' perspectives were confirmed through observations at a public farmers' meeting and a review of operations documents of Busaka, a FASDEP II agribusiness partner. Key findings indicated that the current pluralistic extension lacked the characteristics of collaborative advantage and farmers continued to face challenges in access to farming inputs, credit, climate change effects, and cronyism. Farmers perceived the system was more beneficial to large-scale farmers. Positive social change implications of this study include identifying factors to improve effective pluralistic extension for subsistence farmers, the poorest persons in SND; improving the financial conditions of these subsistence farmers through more sustained and equitable partner collaboration; and contributing to the economic development of SND.

Storstäderna växer och folk vill bo allt mer centralt, men det finns inte mycket yta att bygga på ifall man inte vill offra naturområden. En lösning är att bygga på höjden, det vill säga öka antalet våningar. Det är vad denna uppsats handlar om och hur bostads- och hyresrättsföreningar kan dra nytta av detta genom att öka sin ekonomiska vinning, samtidigt som de gör samhället en tjänst och är med och mättar behovet. Det denna uppsats kommer att behandla är hur ekonomin i olika föreningar ändras i samband med takpåbyggnad med en eller flera våningar och hur detta skiljer sig utifrån olika tekniska lösningar. Syftet är att utifrån detta skapa en uppsats som kan gagna framtida fastigheter som överväger att göra en sådan ombyggnation. De metoder vi kommer använda är granskning av dokumentation och handlingar från olika föreningar som har genomgått en takpåbyggnad av en eller flera våningar. Dessa kommer att användas för att göra uträkningar och egna analyser. Även intervjuer med styrelsemedlemmar i bostadsrättsföreningarna och företag som utför takombyggnationer förekommer. Tekniska och juridiska krav behandlas även om vad som generellt gäller för en takpåbyggnad. I slutet så sker en analys av objekten, där man får se resultatet av det som undersökts. Avslutningsvis så kommer slutsatsen som ger oss svaret att en bostadsrättsförenings ekonomi med största sannolikhet gynnas av en ombyggnation av detta slag om möjligheten finns. De variationer som förekom var oftast lägesrelaterade och man kan se en tydlig korrelation mellan vinsten och ju mer centralt man hamnade. Slutsatsen är alltså i sin enkelhet att om möjligheten finns så är en våningstakpåbyggnad med stor sannolikhet ett lönsamt alternativ. / The big cities are growing and people want to live ever more centrally, but there is not much space to build on if you do not want to sacrifice the natural areas. One solution is to build higher, namely increasing the number of floors. That's what this essay is about and how housing and tenancy associations can take advantage of this by increasing their financial gain, while they’re doing the community a service and is with and saturates need. There we will examine is how the economies of various compounds change with a storey extension with one or more floors and how this differs from different technical solutions. The aim is that by this create an essay that will benefit future properties that are considering doing such conversions. The methods we will use is the examination of records and documents of various cases that have undergone a storey extension of one or more floors. These will be used to make the calculations and their own analyzes. Interviews with board members of housing cooperatives and companies that perform storey extensions occur. Technical and legal claims are pending, although generally applicable for a storey extension. In the end this happens, an analysis of the items, where you see the results of what has been investigated. Finally it will conclude that gives us the answer to a housing association economy most likely benefits from a reconstruction of this kind if the possibility exists. The variations that occurred were usually locational and one can see a clear correlation between the gain and the more centrally it ended. The conclusion is thus in its simplicity that if there is a possibility to do a storey extension, then it probably is a viable alternative.

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New food processing technologies are needed to create safe, high-quality food products that are still considered "fresh" by consumers. Despite the numerous benefits attributed to 'food processing', consumers continue to perceive the term negatively. Consumer acceptance of foods processed with different technologies generally increases when factual information is provided to the consumer. Educators working within Cooperative Extension are a resource for public dissemination of food information. By working directly in the community, Extension educators often cultivate positive relationships with local clientele. Therefore, Extension educators can dispel myths related to food processing technologies and deliver science-supported information to the general public. Consumer knowledge, perceptions, and purchasing intentions associated with both conventional and emerging food processing technologies were assessed through a nationwide telephone survey administered by Virginia Tech's Center for Survey Research Center. A similar version of the telephone survey was disseminated in an online format to Virginia Extension agents. An additional section of the online survey served as a needs assessment for educational materials related to food processing technologies. A grounded theory methodology was used for qualitative coding in both surveys. Approximately 67% of consumers expressed concerns towards the term "processed foods." The majority of Extension agents (67.4%) expressed concerns about foods that had been processed, citing additional ingredients, preservatives, and additives; safety; and health implications. Both the consumer and Extension agent groups were more likely to be supportive of light-exposed foods to enhance food safety and quality, in comparison to gas-exposed foods. Although agents may be familiar with some food processing technologies, they may not have the resources to understand the scientific mechanisms for which a technology is able to increase food safety. Consumer education regarding emerging technologies is necessary to anticipate potential consumer concerns; however, agents still lack resources and information about existing and frequently used food processing technologies. Educational interventions are needed to provide information to consumers and increase their acceptance of new and currently used processing technologies so that the food industry can effectively target emerging issues related to food. / Doctor of Philosophy

A descriptive type of research was conducted to study the Cooperative Extension Service in the United States with implications for the Agricultural Extension Program in Sri Lanka. The Commonwealth of Virginia's Cooperative Extension Service was selected for detailed study and information was collected through literature reviews and personal interviews. Based on the writer's experience and available materials, information concerned with the Agricultural Extension Program in Sri Lanka was presented. The information on organizational structure and operation of the cooperative agricultural extension program in Virginia, including the history of agricultural extension programs in the United States; cooperative extension work at Federal, state and county levels; responsibilities of extension personnel; program planning and evaluation; flow of information and teaching methods; staff development; and 4-H activities were collected and compared with similar aspects of the agricultural extension program in Sri Lanka. The comparison of the Cooperative Extension Service in the United States and the Agricultural Extension Program in Sri Lanka shows both differences and commonalities. Basic functions and the general objectives of both extension programs are almost the same, but there are differences between the two extension programs in organizational structure, subject matter coverage, approach to the clientele, procedures of program planning and implementation, staff development and in 4-H activities. Based on the findings of this study, the following most important conclusions were drawn: (1) a lack of formal functional relationship between the Agricultural Extension Service and the higher educational institutes has limited the use of personnel and resources available in the institutes; (2) the lack of job descriptions for agricultural extension workers leads to confusion of their duties and responsibilities; (3) the Agricultural Extension Service in Sri Lanka has not used local clientele committees during the program development process; (4) the village level extension workers do not have input in the preparation and implementation of the programs at the local level; (5) an evaluation unit or commitment for evaluation is neglected in the organizational structure of the Agricultural Extension Service in Sri Lanka; (6) the demonstration method of teaching has been overlooked and is used too infrequently in agricultural extension education activities; (7) technical assistance provided by extension workers is limited to agricultural production; and (8) young farmers program activities have been neglected for many years. Based on the selected conclusions of this study, the selected recommendations were made to help strengthen the Agricultural Extension Service in Sri Lanka: 1. that a formal functional relationship be established between the Agricultural Extension Service and the higher educational institutes; 2. that the duties and responsibilities of extension workers at the various levels be defined; 3. that advisory committees be organized at each hierarchy level of the organizational structure of the Agricultural Extension Service; 4. that agricultural extension programs be developed and implemented at local levels; 5. that an evaluation unit be created as a part of the Agricultural Extension Division; 6. that the demonstration technique be used as a primary teaching method; 7. that the competency level of extension personnel be improved through a systematic and planned preservice and in-service preparation programs; and 8. that village level extension workers organize young farmers clubs in each of their ranges. / Master of Science

Nutrition problems have been given much consideration in recent years. Today, when devastated areas of Europe are suffering from hardships due to the lack of sufficient food, the whole world is acutely aware of foods and nutrition problems. It is necessary, in order to improve the world food picture, that the need of each country be understood and the available foods used to meet needs without waste, either from the standpoint of economy or nutritional well-being. Agricultural and home economics workers in Puerto Rico have felt the necessity of teaching the people of their country methods to improve the quality and quantity of food products. The Puerto Rican people need to learn how to get the most from their soil, how to use fertilizers, and how to conserve the value of the soil. Much has already been accomplished in this work, but it is necessary to obtain more interest on the part of the people in improving their production and use of food. In addition to learning improved methods of production and conservation, the people of Puerto Rico need to emphasize wise use of the available food products. Many foods are available because Puerto Rico has a rich soil, and with the aid of only a small amount of fertilizer, many products may be grown. Vegetables and fruits may be produced throughout the year in sufficient quantities to meet the needs of the people. This makes it possible to have an adequate intake of vitamins A and C, if they eat available foods. Of course, the amount of sunlight the year around gives an ample supply of vitamin D. (Rickets due to deficiency of vitamin D is almost unknown.) In spite of the fortunate geographical position which makes the production of many foods possible, the people still need much information about the best methods of preparing and preserving this food. Home economists in extension work must make continued efforts to plan programs to meet the needs of the Puerto Rican people. Those who are responsible for choosing and preparing foods must be given more knowledge of foods and nutrition and thus improve the nutritional status of the people and use well the available foods. In order to develop new plans that would aid the extension program of one area, much can be learned from a study of methods in use elsewhere. For that reason, this study of extension work in foods and nutrition in the southern United States was begun. In studying the foods and nutrition extension work of the southern United States and Puerto Rico, as much information as possible was secured from the library. In order to augment this material, a questionnaire was sent to extension foods and nutrition specialists working in the southern states of the United states. This questionnaire was designed to obtain information about the type of work done, the methods used, and the success of these methods. A copy of the questionnaire may be found in the appendix. From the foods and nutrition extension information obtained from other states, a comparison is made with the Puerto Rican extension work, and some plans based upon this study for furthering the work in Puerto Rico are presented. Information from this study, it is hoped, may be useful to the author upon returning to a position in foods and nutrition extension in Puerto Rico. In this study, it was thought advisable to give brief consideration of the nature of extension work in general, and emphasize the work of specialists, especially the work of foods and nutrition specialists. In order to develop the problem, it has been necessary to explain at some length the extension work and its background in Puerto Rico. Only with a clear picture of the Puerto Rican conditions, accomplishments and future needs, is it possible to see relationship between extension in this country and the southern United states and apply ideas gained from the study in plans for future extension work. It is hoped from this study to (1) Study the food and nutrition needs of the people in the southern United States and the methods used to meet these needs. (2) Compare the needs of the people of Puerto Rico with those of the people of the southern United states. (3) Compare the methods used in the southern United States with those used in Puerto Rico. (4) Apply ideas gained from the study in suggestions to further foods and nutrition work in Puerto Rico. / M.S.

The objectives of the study were as follows: 1. To investigate the following of the Cooperative Extension in the United States (Virginia) and Nigeria (Anambra): A. Background and history B. Organization C. Administration D. Responsibilities of personnel E. Financing F. Program areas G. Training of staff H. Communication processes and methods used I. Reporting and evaluation of programs 2. To write·a descriptive comparison of the two extension systems. 3. To make recommendations for the improvement of the Nigerian Agricultural Extension Service based on the findings. Nigeria has an Agricultural Extension Service which has not been successful in changing the life of the peasant farmers and needs to be improved if agriculture is to be successful in Nigeria. Nigeria's economy has gone down within the last year due to the reduced price of oil on which the nation has built its wealth since the mid-1960's. It is now believed by the Nigerian policymakers that agriculture is a more stable and everlasting base for the economy and again needs to be the primary source of income in Nigeria. The methods used in this study were as follows: A. Literature review. A literature review was made on the elements selected for study. B. Sources of information. Additional information was obtained from other sources such as the Cooperative Extension Service in the United States and Nigeria, personal interviews, world bank offices in the United States. C. A descriptive comparison was made on all of the elements studied and conclusions were drawn. Recommendations for the improvement of the Nigerian Agricultural Extension Service were made. The comparison between the Cooperative Extension Service in the United States and the Nigerian Agricultural Extension Service shows similarities and differences. There is greater similarity in their operations than in the organizational and administrative structure. There are also differences in the methods used to carry out the extension programs, variety of programs, procedures used in program planning and reporting and evaluation of programs. Ten important recommendations resulting from this study are: That the Federal government enact legislation (laws and regulations) which will provide adequate financial support, recognition and direction for the operation of the Agricultural Extension Service. That the technical personnel of the Agricultural Extension Service carry out educational functions exclusively. That additional technical extension personnel be employed so that there is an adequate number to do the work and that they be well trained. That more workers in the Home Economics programs be employed and trained. That the extension workers use the training and visit system (T and V) to train the farmers. That the extension service provide an adequate number of demonstration units. That cine vans (demonstration units) equipped with microphones and cinema equipment tour all the villages more frequently to enlighten the farmers. That a separate Evaluation Section be included in all Agricultural Extension Divisions in the nation. That the personnel of the Agricultural Extension Service be given adequate training in the area of reporting and evaluation. That adequate funds be provided for the reporting and evaluation section so that the workers and the public will know how much progress is being made, / Ph. D.