The Caraga State University (CSU) is a state-funded institution tasked to provide quality professional and technological training in the northeastern Mindanao area, the Caraga Region. As a state institution, its mandate is to support sustainable socio-economic development through the basic functions of instructions, research, extension and production. To attain this noble mission, a souns Extention and Community Outreach Program should be formulated and carried out to answer the technological and information needs of its service area. 

The northeastern Mindanao Region (Caraga) is one of the regions in the Philippines with vast natural resources. It has the widest remaining forest, thus tagged as the "Timber Corridor of the Philippines". Caraga Region supplies about 70% of the total timber requirements of the country. Likewise, it has rich mineral resources that lure a number of miniing companies to do exploration and extraction. The "Iron Mountain" located in the Surigao Provinces is known to be the biggest iron deposit in Asia. At present, the region is regarded the "Hottest Mining Destination" in the Philippines for its gold, nickel, iron and silver deposits. However, this rich natural endowment has attracted people to come to the region. Due to migration, the region experiences a delicate balance between natural resources and population since the rapidly expanding population in the region relies mainly on these resources, whuich may eventually causes the depletion of non-renewable resources. For the region's resources to be utilized optimally for sustainable development, wise management of resources and education of the people are critical areas to focus in order to strike a balance between sustainable development and natural resources management.

As a State University committed to the transformation of the social well-being of the people, CSU, therefore, faces many challenges. The primary challenge is how it can effectively respond to the pressing needs of the region, particularly in poverty alleviation ans sustainability of socio-economic development efforts. Through its four-fold function of instruction, research extension and production, it develops programs that could bring development in the region. However, its effort to provide information and knowledge must not be limited only to those who are capable of going to school, but it should reach the people even up to the region's borders and beyond. 

Extension service is the vehicle that links the major programs of CSU to the various sectors of society for the purpose of developing and/or enhancing capabilities of individuals and groups (POs, NGOs) to alleviate their socio-economic conditions. Through the extension and community outreach programs of the State University, learning-beyond-classrooms may be given a new meaning, as new modalities shall be tested to develop and enhance capabilities of the Caraganons.