Duration: 10/01/2014 to 09/30/2015

Administrative Advisor(s):

NIFA Reps:

Non-Technical Summary

Statement of Issues and Justification

Home food production is a popular hobby in the United States. In 2008, the National Gardening Association estimated that 23% (27 million) of U.S. households participated in vegetable gardening (http://www.gardenresearch.com/files/2009-Impact-of-Gardening-in-America-White-Paper.pdf ) and projected that those numbers would rise by 5-10% in 2009. Of those who garden, a majority (91%) garden at home, spend 5 or more hours gardening each week, and have a food garden with a median size of 96 square feet.

Interest and activity in home gardening has continued to increase. Recent information from the National Gardening Association (2013) indicates one-half of the US population gardens and spends $29 billion per year on gardening activities. This translates to 83 million US households gardening with 30 million households growing vegetables and 12 million growing fruits and nuts (http://www.gardenresearch.com/index.php?q=show&id=2366). This is further substantiated by The Garden Writers Association Foundation (GWAF) 2013 Winter Gardening Trends Research Report. It found that among the ~55.5 million households that have grown edible plants since 2009, 91.4% (~50.7 million households) grew edibles in 2012. Among all U.S. households, 51.9% (~57 million) report they anticipate growing edible plants this year, representing an expected 11.3% increase in households growing edible plants for 2013.

Demand for information regarding home and community gardening is increasing as well as demand for information regarding nutrition and human health as it relates to backyard and community gardening. Education programs highlighting topics, such as home gardening, organic gardening, container and raised bed gardening, community gardens, and edible landscaping, are among the most popular talks and workshops being offered by county Extension offices and Extension Master Gardener programs across the south. For example, the Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide - an electronic publication of the University of Florida’s Extension Service, was the most accessed publication in 2012 of all of the 7,000 Extension publications in the EDIS system. In 2008, it received 86,820 hits; in 2012 it was up to 142,419. Over its six years of existence, eXtension’s Ask an Expert application has provided over 40,000 answers to horticulture questions; which is 32% of all questions asked of eXtension. As the popularity of home and community food production increases, so do the gardener’s demands for information and assistance.

The rise in popularity of gardening has many causes. People want to become more self-sufficient in food production. Gardening is considered a “green” or environmentally friendly activity by many people. Many believe that home-grown produce tastes better and has higher nutritional qualities. Gardening also addresses concerns related to food security/insecurity. Many people enjoy the exercise and mental well-being often associated with gardening activities. Community gardens have also shown additional benefits including more community buy-in and closer ties with neighbors.

Management of urban and residential landscapes and gardens can have a tremendous impact on food production, nutrition and human health, water consumption, water quality, green waste and energy consumption. The ecological impact of home gardening is significant. Although hard to quantify, some believe there is more land being managed in backyards and community gardens than in all National Parks combined. Yet there is a lack of research documenting the impact of various management strategies and the potential environmental and human health benefits to not only the gardener, but the community as a whole.

Though Extension efforts in consumer horticulture have never been more popular, research efforts in the field have lagged for many reasons. Many of the significant research questions in the field are in areas of study traditionally housed outside Horticulture Departments, the traditional home of consumer horticulture. We must develop strong collaborations with researchers from other departments and colleges within the university to address gardening questions (e.g. Family and Consumer Sciences, Nutrition, Ecology).

Key stakeholders in consumer horticulture have diverse and occasionally conflicting goals for the science of gardening (big box stores vs. organic gardeners; landscape companies vs homeowners; food insecure gardeners vs. parks and recreation departments). Though consumer horticulture specialists have often been successful at garnering small or narrowly focused local funding sources, federal funding sources are few and far between and rarely address issues related solely to consumer horticulture.

The long-term goal of SERA44 is to develop a strategic plan for research and extension in consumer horticulture. Many of the objectives in this proposal support this long-term goal. The SERA44 project will seek to sustain and expand interest in home/community gardening by developing researched-based education tools. These tools will increase consumers’ confidence and productivity in growing their own food, teach them the nutritional and human health benefits of such activities, and help them maintain a vibrant landscape which fulfills the ecological services desired. This SERA44 project will also encourage Extension specialists and researchers in the U.S., (with special attention to the southeastern U.S.), to work collaboratively with appropriate commercial, state and community partners to consolidate and create educational resources for the gardening public. While each state in this project has its own factsheets, web pages, videos, PowerPoint sets, etc. on these topics, it will be useful to create a regional clearing house documenting science-based gardening information for Extension staff, researchers, volunteers, partners, and green industry professionals. This will also allow project participants to identify areas where information or delivery methods are lacking so that new resources can be developed. While this LGBL SERA44 project will primarily consist of university Extension and research faculty, it will also reach out to green industry business partners and non-profits, and other public health and other agency professionals engaged in improving the home/community gardening experience.

The SERA44 project will also serve as a catalyst in positioning participants to better capitalize on funding opportunities that advance improved gardening methods, plant cultivars, nutrition, environmental stewardship, community capacity building, food safety/security, and human health and wellbeing. A collective approach to improving the experience and effectiveness of home/community gardening should be attractive to both federal and private funding sources.

Objectives

Procedures and Activities

Activities to Date:

The LBGL group grew out of the Winning Teams/Winning Grants workshop held in Atlanta in November 2012. The group was granted a one-year, temporary status as SERA44. Since that time, we have met via web conferencing every 4-8 weeks using the University of Kentucky MS Lync system and have started a newsletter hosted at the University of Georgia (http://ugaurbanag.com/landscapes-and-gardens-better-living-newsletters) to reach our colleagues in the Southeast (and beyond). We are increasing the number of specialists involved in the group and we are participating in a workshop at the 2014 American Society for Horticultural Science where we hope to engage more researchers in SERA44. We have also developed a group listserv (lgbl@lists.ncsu.edu) and a password-protected virtual work space (http://www.ncsugarden.com/educational_materials.html), both hosted by the North Carolina State University. In addition to these ongoing activities we will engage in the following.

Short-term activities:

1. Increase SERA44 participation by working with the Consumer Horticulture/Master Gardener working group of the American Society for Horticultural Science.

2. Develop a plan to increase the multidisciplinary participation of research scientist in Land Grant institutions.

3. Co-host a workshop on July 31, 2014 at the ASHS annual meeting in Orlando, FL entitled, “Let’s generate $10,000,000 in Research and Extension Support for Consumer Horticulture.” Details are here: ASHS CH/MG Workshop and SERA44 Meeting

4. Host the first fact-to-face meeting of our SERA44 group on August 1, 2014 in Orlando, FL at the Orange County Extension Office. See link in #2 for details.

5. Develop a logic model that identifies the inputs and outcomes of a consumer horticulture strategic plan.

6. Meet via web conference or conference call at least 6 times yearly to discuss goals and accomplishments.

7. Identify ways to increase interest and productivity of small-scale gardening in urban areas.

8. Consolidate and created Extension and research resources.

9. Develop budget models to project cost/benefit of specific gardening and landscaping strategies (including nutritional benefit of specific vegetables in the home garden).

10. Explore funding opportunities and submit competitive grant proposals to federal and private agencies.

11. Review national strategic plans from other commodity groups, identify components that are applicable to consumer horticulture.

Long-term activities:

1. Identify key stakeholder groups and develop outreach plan.

2. Identify funding sources that will support the strategic planning process.

3. Work with consumer horticulture entities at Land-Grant Institutions and various stakeholder groups to develop a national research and extension strategic plan including objectives and funding mechanisms.

4. Develop a plan that is compatible with USDA strategic plan.

5. Share strategic plan with USDA funding agencies and leadership of Land-Grant Institutions

Expected Outcomes and Impacts

Projected Participation

View Appendix E: Participation

Educational Plan

Organization/Governance

The executive committee elected by the LGBL SERA project will include a chair, chair-elect, and secretary. This committee will be elected at the first meeting (face-to-face or virtual) of each federal fiscal year (after October 1). Unless otherwise noted, the secretary and chair-elect will assume responsibilities of the chair-elect and chair, respectively.
The chair and chair-elect will call the meetings and set the agenda. The secretary, or someone designated by the secretary in their absence, will compile and archive notes from each meeting and will, from time to time, prepare a newsletter with significant highlights or accomplishments from the group to be distributed to appropriate land-grant university staff throughout the southeastern U.S.

Current officers include: Lucy Bradley, past chair, Richard Durham, chair; Ellen Bauske, chair-elect/secretary, whose terms will shift on October 1, 2014.

Literature Cited

Attachments

Land Grant Participating States/Institutions

AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MN, MS, NC, TN, VA, WA

Non Land Grant Participating States/Institutions