The Western Center for Metropolitan Extension and Research (WCMER) is a multi-university collaboration established by the Western Extension Directors Association to:
- increase the internal capacity of Western Extension programs to address metropolitan issues, and
- to elevate the stature and value of Cooperative Extension to external metropolitan audiences.
Since its founding in 2014 we have focused our efforts on applied research on best Extension practices and issues facing metropolitan areas, and professional development for Extension professionals, with a goal of better aligning programs and program delivery with the needs, issues and interest of their metropolitan constituency.
This mid-year report from the WCMER highlights the initiated four applied research fellowships; co-led a national effort to gather stakeholder input for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s (NIFA) Urban, Indoor and other Emerging Agricultural Production Research, Education and Extension Initiative; explored new projects around urban wildfires/urban smoke, nature based solutions, and sustainable regional systems; and produced seven Leading Edge Dialogue papers as the proceedings at the 2019 National Urban Extension Conference.