The LSU agcenter through its cooperative extension services works along with the LA experiment station to serve the citizens of louisiana in 4 main areas: family & community development to focus on…

The LSU agcenter through its cooperative extension services works along with the LA experiment station to serve the citizens of louisiana in 4 main areas: family & community development to focus on issues affecting individuals, families, community development; disaster, epidemic, and pandemic preparedness, mitigation, and recovery; risk awareness; sustainable housing; agro security; and agritourism. Food security & systems to focus on increasing the sustainability and profitability of louisiana's animal, aquaculture, and plant systems and food accessibility, affordability, policy; food safety, to include seafood, raw produce, and processed commodity - safety, certification programs, farm financing, and succession planning issues. Natural resources & environmental sustainability to focus on conservation and preservation of natural resources, state's forestry industry, wildlife, wetland plants, water, waste management, landscapes, feedstocks, alternative biofuels, biomass processing and their effects on the environment. Obesity, health & wellness focuses on increased consumption of healthy foods - fruits and vegetables; increasing physical activity; complete physical; mental and social well-being; policy, system, and environmental change; and related nutrition/health/wellness issues to include epidemic and pandemic prevention. Louisiana has a very unique and diverse group of citizens, but research that is being administered in each focal area helps the agcenter to better serve the citizens of louisiana as well as collaborate with colleagues in varying other states to CO-meet the needs of their respective state. In addition, the LA cooperative extension services provides service to the youth of louisiana via youth development. Youth development focuses on providing louisiana youth access to positive development opportunities and activities that build essential skills, develop leadership potential, and create civic-minded, healthy citizens engaged in solving community issues.