Title

SDSU Extension Master Gardener Program Makes Strides

Relevance

Gardening is growing in popularity in America, and this is expected to continue in the coming years. Based on the 2023 National Gardening Survey, 80% of American households participated in a gardening project in 2022. With this interest comes gardening questions and a need for education. South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension's Master Gardener program develops gardening enthusiasts into expert volunteers who share their research-based knowledge with community members across the state. The program provides volunteer educators who share research-based information and expertise with their local communities. In the process, they increase public awareness and understanding related to healthy soil, integrated pest management, native plants, plant problem diagnosis and more.

Response

To assist Master Gardeners statewide with the educational resources they need, South Dakota State University Extension (SDSU Extension) offered numerous workshops, trainings, and presentations. The objectives of these educational efforts included: (1) To expand the capabilities of SDSU Extension to disseminate unbiased, research-based, horticultural information to individuals and groups living in South Dakota. (2) To develop and enhance community projects related to horticulture, including community gardens and landscape improvement. (3) Train volunteers to accomplish the mission of the SDSU Extension Master Gardener program. The 2023 Annual Update Conference was hosted and led by SDSU Extension in September, with 127 Master Gardeners attending. This event provided special recognition for volunteers, including Advisory Council members, Gold Star Award winners, Emeritus, and new interns. Current Master Gardener volunteers also increased their knowledge by participating in a Lunch & Learn virtual series with seven SDSU Extension presenters (staff and volunteers). A total of 175 volunteers attended these webinars live and others watched the YouTube recordings at a later date. The program partnered with NDSU Extension to offer advanced training; EMG Diagnostician (diagnosing pathological and entomological diseases of the horticultural world) with 13 SDSU Extension Master Gardeners completing the rigorous course.

Results

The SDSU Extension Master Gardener Program trains volunteers to educate South Dakotans about safe, effective and sustainable horticultural practices that build healthy gardens, landscapes and communities. They provide science-based gardening information to the public through their volunteer activities. During 2023, there were 294 active Master Gardeners, including Emeritus. The program provided training to 89 individuals and added 67 new Master Gardener interns. A total of 11,135 Master Gardener volunteer hours were reported for the year, which equates to a cash value of $303,428.75. A total of 4,529 continuing education hours were reported. Over 92% of trainees either strongly agreed or agreed that "The course increased my knowledge of the subject matter." One of the trainees stated, "This has been the most enjoyable and informative set of classes I have ever taken and I have taken a lot of classes in my day. I have been able to help people in my neighborhood, my church, and my place of work with their plant questions I even answered a question about botrytis blight at a garden center, and I am not even done yet!"

Public Value Statement

Master Gardener clubs across the state provide a variety of services and events including children's programming, farmers market booths, horticulture newsletters and blogs, a seed library, educational television segments, plant sales/swaps, and host educational events for the public. In total, Master Gardeners hosted over 68 events with over 4,700 attendees. South Dakota Master Gardeners assist with food security and nutrition security efforts. One club donated 6,314 pounds of produce in 2023. As part of Growing Together South Dakota, 11 Master Gardeners partnered with 44 adult volunteers and 329 youth volunteers at five garden sites across South Dakota, donating a total of 1,600 pounds of produce to food pantries. Master Gardeners served as consultants on these projects and offered educational presentations. One Master Gardener is also a Master Food Preserver and presented a canning workshop for sixteen participants. Another Master Gardener club has brought together a group of people who would otherwise not know each other. There are new friendships formed and increased confidence of the gardeners. The SDSU Extension Master Gardeners public Facebook page has over 2,200 followers and provides scientific gardening information and recognition of our program volunteers. Due to the efforts of the SDSU Extension Master Gardener program, more people are learning from trained volunteers about gardening, which is beneficial for physical, emotional, and environmental health. In addition, more people are growing food locally, planting pollinator-friendly gardens and have increased their knowledge of horticulture overall. SDSU Extension Master Garden volunteers make a difference in their local communities by using research-based horticultural knowledge and best practices to deliver educational outreach and project-based efforts that inspire change and promote healthy people and healthy communities.

Primary Focus Area

Food Security

Secondary Focus Area

Nutrition & Health

Tags

Primary Funding Source

Smith-Lever (3b&c)

Secondary Funding Source

None Selected

Urban Impact Statement

Submission Year

2023

Submitter is Point of Contact

Yes

Primary Contact Name

Ann Schwader

Primary Contact Email

ann.schwader@sdstate.edu

Integrated Impact Statement

Yes

Integrated With

South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station

Statement Synopsis

The South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension Master Gardener program provides current, research-based, consumer horticulture information and education to the citizens of South Dakota through Master Gardener projects and services. SDSU Extension provides participants with training in horticulture and environmental topics of special value to home gardeners. To assist Master Gardeners statewide with the educational resources they need, South Dakota State University Extension (SDSU Extension) offered workshops, trainings, and presentations. During 2023, there were 294 active Master Gardeners, including Emeritus. The program provided training to 89 individuals and added 67 new Master Gardener interns. A total of 11,135 Master Gardener volunteer hours were reported for the year, which equates to a cash value of $303,428.75. Due to the efforts of the SDSU Extension Master Gardener program, more people are learning from trained volunteers about gardening, which is beneficial for physical, emotional, and environmental health. SDSU Extension Master Garden volunteers make a difference in their local communities by using research-based horticultural knowledge and best practices to deliver educational outreach and project-based efforts that inspire change and promote healthy people and healthy communities.

Resource Links