Creation and mission of sera44.

Several consumer horticulture specialists, EMG coordinators, and specialists in related disciplines attended an SAAESD grant-writing workshop in Atlanta, GA 27–28 Nov. 2012. The group’s goal was to develop ideas and to formulate a successful consumer horticulture grant proposal. Food gardening was selected as a focus area for research, education, and extension.

It soon became clear that the group needed to expand its membership. Creating a successful grant proposal would require close collaboration with additional partners. Proposals addressing water quality, environmental impacts, and human health and well-being would need significant input from a more diverse group of specialists and scientists.

The team applied to the SAAESD to create a Southern Extension/Research Activity (SERA). The application was accepted contingent on defining research objectives and SERA44 was created. Bimonthly virtual meetings, a listserv, shared web space, and a group newsletter (Landscapes and Gardens for Better Living Newsletter, n.d.) keep the group connected.

SERA44 is now a national working group. Participation in the group is not limited to the southern regions. Policies vary from university to university, but members of SERAs may request travel support for participation in SERA activities. Interested parties can join the group by contacting the experiment station director (or administrator who performs that function) at their institution. Additional information is available at the National Information Management and Support System (2001).

SERA44 participants considered several research projects and objectives, but struggled to find an effective regional approach to local issues most members focused their state programs on. Participants also failed to identify appropriate funding sources to support regional projects (see below). After considerable deliberation, the group decided to explore the possibility of creating a strategic plan that would give direction to future research, education, and extension efforts and identify shortfalls in funding for crucial efforts.

Funding challenges and opportunities.

SERA44 members continued holding conference calls to explore collaborative projects and seek funding. Specialty Crop Research Initiative, Agriculture and Food Research Initiative, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Grants, and the Organic Agriculture Research and Extension Initiative were explored. These funding sources focus on agricultural production and rural populations. Group members had participated in NIFA-funded projects in integrated pest management (IPM), food, nutrition and health, and environmental and natural resources. Nevertheless, their participation tended to focus on public outreach, and rarely addressed consumer horticulture science issues. The Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute of Health were also investigated as potential funders. It was clear that expertise outside of consumer horticulture was necessary to create successful proposals to these agencies. The group actively sought and recruited members in other fields to broaden its expertise.

In spite of the funding challenges, group members had successfully garnered support for outreach components for their individual programs. The funding sources tended to be dependent on local conditions and focused on in-state work. A few examples from the Virginia EMG program illustrate this. Examples presented at the workshop included: 1) the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service funded the development of educational resources to discourage home debris burning and encourage composting; 2) funding from the EMG state association was used to create an endowment for the EMG coordinator position; and 3) the Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation provided funding for EMG volunteers to help home owners develop landscape nutrient management plans.

Multistate collaborative projects.

Successful regional collaborative projects share several key elements including shared support for the goals and objectives and a firm commitment to listening and responding to feedback. If the project is a national effort, participants must think beyond their state. It is also important that participants’ efforts in multistate collaborative projects be recognized in performance evaluations.

A strategic plan for consumer horticulture.

Consumer horticulture is underrepresented in federal grant portfolios, given the importance of its contributions to human health and environmental sustainability, the number of people who participate in gardening, and the diversity of industries that sell goods and services to the gardening public. By bringing stakeholders together, consumer horticulture may be able to gain greater visibility (and support) at the state and national level.

The development of a national strategic plan for research, education, and extension has effectively engaged stakeholders in other horticultural industries (Citrus Research Foundation, 2014; National Berry Crops Initiative, 2014; National Grape and Wine Initiative, 2007). Dr. Bewick suggested the same process could be used to engage consumer horticulture stakeholders, focusing attention and efforts on high impact, fundable areas. A national strategic plan can be easily adapted for local needs. It would be useful at the state and county level as well.

As noted previously, consumer horticulture stakeholders are a diverse group and include people involved in all aspects of gardening and the commercial, health, and ecological impacts associated with gardening. Ideally, the process of creating a strategic plan would galvanize this diverse and often fragmented stakeholder community, though it may be challenging to get participation and buy-in from all.

A small steering committee would be recruited to develop a draft national strategic plan. The steering committee should have representation from all sectors and be as inclusive as is practical. Once the draft plan is created, a series of conferences/listening sessions (both face-to-face and online) would be held to present the plan and obtain feedback from stakeholders. The plan would then be refined in a conference involving all of the participants. The ASHS annual meetings would play a crucial role in communicating developments throughout the process.

An organization must be created to manage the consumer horticulture strategic plan. Several other groups have done this successfully. The National Grape and Wine Initiative (2007), Citrus Research and Development Foundation (2014), and National Berry Crops Initiative (2014) are examples. The first two organizations have an elaborate structure with paid personnel and regular meetings; the third has a more informal structure with no paid staff and occasional meetings.