The Importance of Social Capital and Community Dynamics for Effective Extension Programming

The Iowa Pest Resistance Management Program was formed to encourage community-level pesticide resistance management. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach collaborated with four Iowa stakeholder communities to establish pilot projects. Despite initial momentum, these programs floundered. We investigated the program's challenges in establishing sustained success in the pilot projects using interviews and focus groups with participants. Our analytical approach considered the critical roles of bonding social capital and bridging social capital in creating entrepreneurial social infrastructure. We provide lessons learned for future community coordination efforts.