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- Author or Editor: Robert Westerfield x
Georgia has about 6000 Master Gardeners in the state. Although the initial training received by these volunteers was excellent, there was a need for more in-depth, updated, specialty training. Advanced Master Gardener Training was developed to provide a higher level of educational training to veteran Master Gardeners. Thirteen specialty topics were developed to enhance volunteer knowledge in areas such as envionmental horticulture, turf grass, or xeriscape. Over 600 Master Gardeners have now gone through advanced training and have been certified. Pre- and post-testing has shown a significant increase in knowledge gained at these trainings. Master Gardeners are required to attend five specialty trainings and pass the post-test before they are certified as “Advanced Master Gardeners.” In return for the training, Master Gardeners are required to serve as resources in the topics of the programs they attend. They may be asked to write news articles, teach programs, or assist with future advanced training. A “second level” advanced training is being planned for 2001 with a stronger emphasis on water quality and envionmental horticulture.
Limited budgets and downsizing have threatened the delivery of technological and educational information by the cooperative extension service. As such trends continue, volunteers become more important. Background factors, influence of specific individuals, attitudes toward the value of the program, and personal benefits received influence a person's decision to become a Master Gardener volunteer. In this study, individuals who were older than 50 and had children and parents who were former volunteers in an extension program were more likely to become Master Gardener volunteers, as were individuals who felt that the Master Gardener program benefited the community and themselves. Specific individuals, such as garden club members, other Master Gardeners, a neighbor, or persons holding leadership positions in the community, might also influence an individual's decision to volunteer.