National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture

Committee Report

Community and Health Benefit Committee Report

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Our Goals:

Cultivating Healthy, Connected and Engaged Communities

Our Objectives:

Educate the public on nutritional, physical, psychological, and social health benefits associated with Consumer Horticulture
Provide policymakers with current scientific information that supports the social and community health, impacts of Consumer Horticulture
Strengthen the adoption of Consumer Horticulture in the U.S. as an effective tool for improving human health and community well-being across diverse populations.

2016

  • First meeting held at American Society for Horticultural Science in August in Atlanta, GA, and brainstormed strategies to meet the goal.
  • Officially convened Social Committee meeting. Introduced members, elected Secretary.
  • Recruited support letters for pre-proposal grant.
  • Determined a gap analysis and literature review was essential to success.

2017

  • Proposed Committee name be changed from Social to Community and Health Benefits (of Consumer Horticulture); accepted, changed.
  • Initiated extensive, in-depth literature review focused on community and health benefits of horticulture; focused on physical, psychological, nutritional, and social aspects.
  • Proposed minor changes in objectives to greater reflect our focus; NICH Executive Committee accepted, adopted November 2017.
  • Held a Workshop at ASHS National meeting in Hawaii in August 2017. Topics included all of NICH work as well as discussion and opportunities to bring in more partners.
  • Committee member attended NIFA listening session, provided comments regarding the community and health benefits of Consumer Horticulture.
  • Marketing Committee distributed survey regarding Community and Health Benefits objective.

2018

  • Reviewed survey results; the main message was that education is a priority and change will come from the grassroots level. As a result, focused strategies were developed as follows:
    • Create curriculum to raise the awareness of the value of the physiological, nutritional, physical and social benefits of consumer horticulture. The curriculum would be delivered to consumers at the grass root level utilizing a train-the-trainer strategy. It will be delivered to State Extension Master Gardener Coordinators (EMG) who will deliver to County and local EMG Coordinators who will deliver to EMGs (more than 80,000 nationally) who will then deliver to consumers.
    • Implement a social media campaign as a part of the curriculum delivery.
    • Work with the Marketing Committee to develop a toolbox of social media and other) resources.
  • Completed ASHS Journal Article on the results of the August 2017 Workshop (to be published August 2018).
  • Submitted proposal for a NICH CHB workshop combining the Consumer Horticulture/Master Gardener and Human Issues in Horticulture Professional Interest Groups (accepted to be presented in July 2018, Washington, D.C.). Workshop: The National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture: Identifying and Cultivating Consumer Horticulture Research Relationships.
  • Initiated contact with the EMG National Committee to engage State Coordinators, County and local Coordinators, and eventually EMGs in the NICH effort.

Future Plans

  • Pre-meeting workshop in Atlanta (June 2018) to discuss curriculum development (including evaluation tools, budget, resources necessary, timeline, etc.)
  • Assignments and working teams to develop curriculum
  • Continual recruitment of team members at professional meetings including but not limited to:
    • Extension Master Gardener Coordinator National Meeting August 2018, Madison, Wisconsin
    • American Society for Horticultural Science, Washington D.C., July 2018
    • American Horticultural Therapy Conference, October 2018, Denver, Colorado
    • National Association of County Agricultural Agents, 2019
    • International Master Gardener Conference, Pennsylvania, 2019

NICH Environmental Committee Activity Update

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2016

Identified and prioritized committee goals/objectives:

  1. Communicate the environmental benefits of Consumer Horticulture.
  2. Develop and promote sustainable practices specific to Consumer Horticulture.
  3. Educate practitioners on the appropriate use of production and management inputs.
  4. Identify and implement the positive environmental impacts of Consumer Horticulture on water quantity and quality resources.
  5. Identify and develop plants, products, and technology appropriate to the diversity of landscape and gardening practices to enhance ecosystem services.
  6. Forge a collective strategy with sectors of Consumer Horticulture to proactively address important issues such as the importation, introduction, and spread of invasive species

2017

  • Reviewed/shared existing Extension publications and materials on environmental issues. To-do: a Literature review on focused area(s) of environmental horticulture.
  • Draft design and framework for an interactive infographic tool:
    • Potential adoption by the horticulture industry and educational institutions and gardens
    • Engages consumers interested in adopting a more environmentally friendly landscape
    • Customizable; present information appropriate to region / area / zone; brandable

  • ASHS Presentation (Weisenhorn) on the NICH Environmental committee: “National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture,” September 20, 2017
  • NICH Take-over Twitter Tuesday (Bauske, Hamrick, and Weisenhorn). October 3, 2017
  • Presentation to University of Minnesota student Horticulture Club about NICH (Weisenhorn), November 11, 2017.

2018

  • Environmental Survey (89 people completed surveys)
    • People were asked to rank the committee’s objectives per importance:
      • Communicate the environmental benefits of Consumer Horticulture.
      • Identify and implement the positive environmental impacts of Consumer Horticulture on water quantity and quality resources.
      • Educate practitioners on the appropriate use of production and management inputs.
      • Develop and promote sustainable practices specific to Consumer Horticulture.
      • Identify and develop plants, products, and technology appropriate to the diversity of landscape and gardening practices to enhance ecosystem services.
      • Forge a collective strategy with sectors of Consumer Horticulture to proactively address important issues such as the importation, introduction, and spread of invasive species
    • Some key points from those surveyed:
      • Educate consumers using easy-to-understand terms and language
      • Establish research and science-based standard sustainable practices specific to consumer horticulture, and promote models of these standard practices
      • NICH should be the advocate/clearing house/library/promoter of the good work already being done rather than develop new work
  • Dorn, S., et al., “The National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture: Focusing on the Critical Role of Communication and Collaboration to Further Research, Extension, and Industry goals.” Revised/submitted for publication to HortTechnology, May 24, 2018.
  • Weisenhorn, J., “Make a Difference! Join the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture”, The Minnesota Nursery and Landscape Association SCOOP, June 2018, pgs. 37-39

Thank you NICH Environmental Committee members!

  • Julie Weisenhorn, Chair, University of Minnesota weise019@umn.edu
  • Lauren Garcia Chance, Clemson University, lgarci3@g.clemson.edu
  • David Close, Virginia Tech, dclose@vt.edu
  • Toby Day, Montana State University, toby.day@montana.edu
  • Amy Jo Detweiler, Oregon State University, amyjo.detweiler@oregonstate.edu
  • Rick Durham, University of Kentucky, rdurham@uky.edu
  • Cyndi Haynes, Iowa State University, chaynes@iastate.edu
  • Sarada Krishnan, Denver Botanical Garden, krishnas@botanicgardens.org
  • Esther McGinnis, North Dakota State University, esther.mcginnis@ndsu.edu
  • Bodie Pennisi, University of Georgia, bpennisi@uga.edu
  • Paul Pugliese, University of Georgia, pugliese@uga.edu
  • Kelly White, New Mexico State University, lkelly@ad.nmsu.edu

NICH Economic Committee Activity Update

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2016

  • Prioritize objectives provided by the National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture (see Revised Goals/Objectives)
  • Identify literature review papers and databases to inform committee work

Committee Revised Goals/Objectives:

  1. Frame, document and comprehensively measure the economic (including labor) impacts and benefits of consumer and community horticulture to create consistent, credible messaging for use by all industry sectors.
  2. Help retail operations and community and consumer horticultural service providers succeed and increase their profitability through the development of better business and human resource management tools and technologies.
  3. Promote and train our existing and future workforce to be more professional, knowledgeable, skilled, and safe through documenting industry employment demand and jobs and developing curricula that expand training to include soft and business skills in addition to science and technology.
  4. Create a united and recognized voice by building partnerships among all sectors that contribute to consumer and community horticulture.
  5. Stimulate and nurture business and employment opportunities in consumer and community horticulture as a professional option for young and beginning entrepreneurs.

2017

  • Develop and release #PlantsDoThat
  • Cultivate ’17 presence widespread
  • ASHS Presentation (Behe, Calabro, Hamrick)
  • Submitted comments to “Investing in Science to Transform Lives – USDA NIFA,” Federal Register Document #: 2017-19714, pages 43325-43326

2018

  • Economic Survey (212 completed surveys)
  • HortTechnology manuscript: “The National Initiative for Consumer Horticulture: Focusing on the Critical Role of Communication and Collaboration to Further Research, Extension, and Industry goals.”
  • GrowerTalks magazine editorial February issue
  • ASHS Poster Presentation (Behe, Calabro)

NICH Economic Committee members

  • Ken Altman, Altman Plants
  • Dr. Bridgett Behe, Michigan State University
  • Dr. Natalie Bumgarner, University of Tennessee
  • Dr. Jill Calabro, AmericanHort
  • Janet B. Carson, University of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service
  • Sylvia Gordon, Landscape by Sylvia Gordon
  • Danny Gouge, Willoway Nurseries
  • Jennifer Gray, AmericanHort
  • Dr. Charlie Hall, Texas A&M University
  • Debbie Hamrick (Committee Chair), NC Farm Bureau Federation
  • Dr. Marvin Miller, Ball Horticultural Co.
  • Steve Mostardi, Mostardi Nursery
  • Patrick Parker, Savatree
  • Dr. Dawn Thilmany McFadden, Colorado State University
  • Penny McBride, Vertical Harvest

NICH Industry Council:

  • Clint Albin, Clint Albin Consulting