{"id":41,"date":"2024-02-20T13:35:02","date_gmt":"2024-02-20T18:35:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/?page_id=41"},"modified":"2026-01-15T10:23:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T15:23:40","slug":"who-are-we","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu\/mastergardener\/who-are-we\/","title":{"rendered":"Who We Are"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Who We Are<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n
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What is a Master Gardener Volunteer?<\/h2>\n\n\n
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The Florida Master Gardener Volunteer Program is a citizen-driven program that benefits UF\/IFAS Extension and the residents of Florida. The program relies on dedicated volunteers who have an interest in gardening and in giving back to their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mission<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To assist Extension agents in providing research-based horticultural education to Florida residents<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vision<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

To be the most trusted resource for horticulture education in Florida<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Values<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We value UF\/IFAS research and discovery because it encourages us to stay current about horticulture and environmental stewardship to meet the unique educational needs of our communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where it started<\/h2>\n\n\n
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In 1979, a group of Florida Extension agents chose to maximize resources by using a new volunteer training model developed in Washington in 1973, called the Master Gardener program. The horticulture “Master” volunteer concept is so effective that it has since spread throughout the United States and several provinces of Canada. Read more about the development of the original program (Washington State University website).<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where we are today<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Florida Master Gardener Volunteers (MGVs) assist UF\/IFAS Extension agents by providing research-based, horticultural education to Florida residents. In 2023, 3,359 volunteers gave 359,600 hours of their time in 58 Florida counties. MGVs served 189,000 Florida citizens through plant clinics, presentations, and school and community gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ultimate end to the educational outreach efforts of the Florida Master Gardener Volunteer Program is to extend the vision of the University of Florida\/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, all the while protecting and sustaining natural resources and environmental systems, enhancing the development of human resources, and improving the quality of human life through the development of knowledge in agricultural, human, and natural resources and making that knowledge accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More About the Program<\/h3>\n\n\n\n