Determining the Needs of American Indian Audiences for Cooperative Extension Programs

American Indians have been in North America for centuries. However, there is limited Cooperative Extension programming on American Indian Reservations due to limited funding and lack of knowledge of the population by Cooperative Extension. The study reported here on the Walker River Indian Reservation in Nevada sought to identify the demographic characteristics, risk factors, and community concerns of the population in order to develop Cooperative Extension programs that address quality of life on the reservation. Similar efforts are recommended for other Cooperative Extension workers responsible for American Indian and other indigenous populations in the United States and around the world.