-based best landscape management practices and they have increasingly turned to innovative approaches to changing consumer behaviors ( Saurí, 2013 ). Extension professionals may incorporate principles of an underused behavior change strategy, social marketing
found water-saving signage at the point of purchase can impact consumers’ landscape plant purchasing decisions ( Knuth et al., 2020 ). Some argue that education campaigns are likely necessary but not sufficient to promote behavior changes on their own
The Green Brigade, organized by the Bexar County Agricultural Extension Service in San Antonio, Texas, is a community-based horticultural program for juvenile offenders based on the earn while learning philosophy. This study determined if participation in the Green Brigade Program improved self-esteem, locus of control, interpersonal relationships, and attitudes toward school, toward gardening and toward the environment as well as decreased recidivism of juvenile offenders. To measure psychological variables, a pre-test, post-test design was implemented using the Self-Report of Personality from The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC). A questionnaire, developed by the researchers, measured environmental attitudes as well as basic horticultural knowledge. Youths participating in the Green Brigade were pre-tested on the first day of the session and post-tested on the final day of the 6-month session. Comparisons were made between children based on age, ethnic background, gender, and session of the Green Brigade in which they participated. Results determined the relationship between participation in the Green Brigade and the dependent variables mentioned previously.
Abstract
Agricultural development requires functional infrastructures, a continued assimilation of old and new technologies, and increased involvement of people who are motivated to create behavioral changes among colleagues and farmers. As educators in graduate training programs, we provide basic horticultural and scientific training. However, we often neglect training in practical farming skills, leadership or administrative skills, communication strategies, and the study of human behavior related to the acceptance of new ideas, concepts, and techniques.
The effects of plants in the workplace on the opinions and attitudes of workers was assessed. Attitudes of employees regarding plants were favorable, and most surveyed agreed that plants in the office made it a more desirable place to work. Office workers were aware of the benefits, such as improving air quality, that plants provide. No behavioral changes in response to the addition of plants to the office environment were demonstrated. There were no significant differences between gender, position in the corporation, and age regarding perceptions of plants in the office environment.
A collaborative project between the Oregon State University Extension Service, and the green industry and allied professional organizations resulted in an educational seminar series for landscape professionals. In 2003 and 2004, the seminar series consisted of seven 3.5-hour sessions covering a range of horticultural topics and capitalized on expertise of extension personnel and green industry professionals. After the 2004 series, a survey was sent to all participants to determine attendance, overall evaluation, usefulness and applicability of information, participant learning, and behavior change as a result of the seminars. The response rate was 31%. Overall, participants gave the seminars a positive rating. A majority (83%) of respondents reported they had applied information learned at the seminar(s), and showed a significant increase in understanding of a subject as a result of participating in the seminar(s). Further, 98% of those who applied this information reported making multiple changes to their practices or recommendations to clients in the 6 months following the seminars.
Since the 1970's, the Colorado Master Gardenersm (MG) program in Boulder County has had volunteer opportunities external to the extension office site. Collaboration occurs with various green industry locations via “clinics”. Volunteers are on location Friday through Sunday, April through mid-July to answer questions for the public at large. Due to the length of time this program had been in place, the staff time and resources committed to it, and budget cutbacks, need for a study of impact and effectiveness of this program was identified. A three-year study was conducted to determine efficacy, pertinence and should this system remain status quo. In year 1, a sampling of the general public was conducted to determine: behavioral change as a result of receiving information (such as a diagnosis); was the information delivered in a timely fashion; satisfaction level; pesticide usage trends; continuance of this program and other data points. In year 2, active MG's in Boulder County were surveyed about participation at various facilities, information about clientele activity, and success rate with clients. Additionally, their comfort level on ability to assist clients plus their perception of the value of clinics to the community were surveyed. Data on diagnostics was correlated with weekly statistics. In year 3, partnering Green Industry collaborators were surveyed to gauge satisfaction with clinic service, timeliness of clinic schedule, and value of clinic service to business, and overall benefits to their staff resources. Reports on each survey will be delivered.
This article discusses Greener Voices, a 3-year extension-research integration project intended to enhance the participation of children and youth in school- and community-based gardening settings and presents findings from a study of adult leaders’ perceptions about the participation of children and youth at their sites. The project included six sites in New York and Pennsylvania consisting of rural, suburban, and urban settings; children at those sites ranged in age between 3 and 18 years. Over a 2-year period, as part of the extension activity, sites were provided with consultation and written materials, a web site, and opportunities to attend a related workshop and conference. Interviews with adult leaders indicated moderate to high levels of participation at most of the sites, variation by age of participants and stage of project, the usefulness of a ladder of children's participation in raising awareness, barriers to participation, attitudinal and behavior changes, and positive impacts on the youth. Ongoing efforts are needed to assist sites/leaders, including strategies to expand thinking about the capabilities of children and youth, help children and youth adjust to new roles, and identity ways for younger children to increase their participation.
The Festival of Color is the annual plant and landscape open house sponsored by the Univ. of Nebraska's Horticulture Dept. The festival is the culmination of many water-centered activities that have preceded the festival throughout the year. Last year's September event drew over 10,000 people to the UNL Agricultural Research and Development Center near Mead, Neb. The festival was created to increase the urban public's awareness and motivation regarding the best landscape management practices for developing environmentally compatible landscapes and reducing urban runoff of water and pesticides. The Festival of Color is an event for all ages. By including the activities for the entire family, the festival draws a large spectrum of the urban population. The festival has grown steadily from 850 visitors in 1993 to 10,000 in 1998. The festival will continue to include demonstrations and talks on selection, installation, and management of turf; irrigation equipment and management methods; pesticide selection and pest management alternatives; fertility management alternatives; low input landscaping with native and adapted species; composting; and more. At the Sixth Annual Festival of Color: 1) 42% of new attendees learned how to implement water conserving landscape techniques (66% of the previous attendees implemented water conserving landscape practices), 2) 30% of new attendees learned how to irrigate more efficiently (63% of previous attendees used water more efficiently), and 3) 29% of new attendees learned how to fertilize more efficiently (actual positive behavior change was higher than the proposed change reported by first time attendees), 4) 98% of new attendees learned how to choose plants based on site/location “Right Plant, Right Place” (86% of previous attendees have improved their plant selection skills by putting the right plant in the right place).
Older adults are not sufficiently physically active and do not consume sufficient fruits and vegetables to achieve health benefits, such as an improved health-related quality of life (HRQL). As a result, an innovative gardening intervention, comprised of stretching exercises, the teaching of home garden knowledge and skills, and the preparation and taste testing of fruits and vegetables, was developed to target increased: (a) confidence to garden and to consume fruits and vegetables, (b) physical activity, (c) fruit and vegetable consumption, and (d) HRQL. Seven older adults, aged 60 years or older, participated in the gardening intervention and 10 older adults participated in the control group during the fall. Measures of confidence, physical activity (i.e., gardening), fruit and vegetable consumption, and HRQL were obtained at baseline and at the end of the 10-week program. Findings revealed that, at baseline, intervention participants had significantly higher confidence to garden compared to control participants but at end-program intervention and control participants did not significantly differ in any of the outcome variables. Bivariate findings also revealed that intervention participants who had higher confidence to garden or to consume fruits and vegetables at baseline also gardened more at end-program. Thus, interventions targeting confidence to garden and to consume fruits and vegetables may be effective in improving gardening (i.e., physical activity) behavior. Findings also suggest that seasonal change may be one influential moderator of the gardening program on confidence and gardening and fruit and vegetable consumption behavior change. Future research should examine the impact of the program in different seasons to clarify the effects.