4-H: A Bold Experiment

This is the fourth in a series of six profiles on youth organizations in the United States.

The American youth group 4-H was started in the early 1900s to help youth introduce their parents to new agricultural technologies. It now has more than 6.5 million members nationwide.

In the early 1900s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture faced a challenge. It needed to move America’s farmers from traditional practices to the use of new machinery and animal husbandry methods. In a bold experiment, the department, along with other groups, reached farmers through their children.

The department founded an organization called 4-H (for head, heart, hands and health), made up of school-based clubs in rural areas. The clubs offered hands-on learning about farm animals and crops.

Today’s 4-H clubs still focus on agriculture, but also expose students to projects about home, health and business. This photo shows Michelle Mack, a member of a 4-H club in Florida. She hugs a champion lamb she raised and sold for a record amount at auction. County and state fairs in the U.S. often include agricultural exhibits by 4-H members.

In 1948, a group of 4-H members went to Europe, and young Europeans came to the U.S. Since then, young people have regularly participated in 4-H international exchanges.

(This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/iipdigital-en/index.html)