Our strong campus-county partnership in cultivating a group of well-informed community leaders through the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) county Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) programs puts research-based knowledge related to successful and ecologically sound gardening practices to work in homes, schools and communities throughout NYS.
MGV contributions to advancing the CCE educational mission annually exceeds 106,000 hours and a value of $ 2.3 million. Through more than 27,500 hours fielding questions MGV made nearly 70,000 direct citizen contacts.
For example, the agriculture program at Oswego County Cornell Cooperative Extension values the assistance of Master Gardener Volunteers. One way MGV assist OCCCE is by answering consumer horticulture questions. This county office feels fortunate to have the assistance of MGV who has faithfully volunteered numerous hours a week from May through November answering consumer horticulture calls, identifying insects and weeds, soil pH testing for lawns and gardens, conducting research, etc. With the assistance of MGV, the agriculture extension educator is able to focus more time and energy with commercial farm producers, conduct educational programs, research trials, etc.
Through more than 21,000 hours providing lectures or workshops they instruct about 60,000 adults, children, and youth. For example, Jefferson County CCE hosts a weekly Farmer’s Market mainly catering to low income families. The Master Gardener Volunteer program saw this as an opportunity to show this audience that they can grow their own vegetables and in turn save money and provide healthy food to their family. They also wanted provide an opportunity for those attending the Farmer’s Market to see where fresh produce comes from. Further, volunteers grew vegetables in the demo garden that were then used in recipes by the nutrition educators. The recipes were prepared and offered as samples for shoppers to taste. Master Gardener Volunteers were available to give tours of the garden during the farmer's market and to answer gardening questions. By the looks on the children faces when they pull up a carrot or pick and ear of corn it seemed apparent that volunteers were having an impact on these children’s awareness. This is priceless. This program will continue on a larger scale with the addition of an off-site garden that will be used to harvest fresh vegetables and fruit for local food pantries.
MGV website:
http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/education/mgprogram/index.html
impact statement issue
Gardening is a valuable tool for meeting societal needs. The benefits of gardening are many including fostering environmental/scientific literacy, community building and social integration and human well-being. Additionally, more than 6 million New York State households engage in garden related activities. Gardening benefits are maximized when garden success is achieved.
Through Cornell Cooperative Extension’s county network of Master Gardener Volunteers Cornell University is able to efficiently spread quality, research-based, ecologically sound gardening approaches throughout New York state to cultivate successful gardening experiences.
Building on the talents and enthusiasm of recruited gardeners, the Master Gardener Volunteer program can offer meaningful roles and civic engagement for gardeners. It can foster dependable avenues for putting well-known and emerging experience and research knowledge in the hands of citizens. It can create valuable partnership with an extensive local presence that is responsive to needs in New York communities.
impact statement response
In 2008, Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) county programs collectively trained 375 new MGV in 27 counties and coordinated 2,159 active volunteers in 47 counties. Training for new volunteers consisted of a minimum of 45 hours of instruction covering basic horticulture such as plant botany, care of annual plants, and pest identification and management. More than a half dozen faculty, NYS IPM specialist, Cornell Plantation staff experts and several dozen county CCE educators, volunteers and local experts offered basic training sessions for the new volunteers and advance training for active volunteers.
Local county staff members coordinate engaging volunteers on a day-to-day basis for specific efforts such as responding to inquires via phone, email or in-person; leading educational programs for adults, children, youth and families; educating through mass media; gardening for public education or beautification is done by county educators.
In addition, county staff members maintain administrative records of volunteer engagement and most importantly cultivate the social structure necessary to maintain a quality volunteer experience. County staff members are supported in this endeavor by the Community Horticulture Program Work Team and the leader of adult and family education in Cornell’s Garden-Based Learning program.
impact statement summary
The benefits of gardening are many, including fostering environmental/scientific literacy, community building and social integration and human well-being. Gardening benefits are maximized when garden success is achieved.
Cultivating a group of well-informed community leaders through the Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) county Master Gardener Volunteer (MGV) programs puts research-based knowledge related to successful and ecologically sound gardening practices to work in homes, schools and communities throughout New York state.
Local county staff members coordinate engaging volunteers on a day-to-day basis for specific efforts such as responding to inquires via phone, email or in-person; leading educational programs for adults, children, youth and families; educating through mass media; gardening for public education or beautification. In addition, county staff members maintain administrative records of volunteer engagement and most importantly cultivate the social structure necessary to maintain a quality volunteer experience.
County staff members are supported in this endeavor by the Community Horticulture Program Work Team and the leader of adult outreach in Cornell’s Garden Based-Learning program. Master Gardener Volunteer programs provide meaningful roles for citizens. MGV contributions to advancing the CCE educational mission annually exceeds 106,000 hours and a value of $ 2.3 million.
