The University of Florida /Institute of Food and Agricultural Science (UF/IFAS) grants the Florida Master Gardener title to those individuals who complete a Master Gardener training course and the required volunteer hours. The overall purpose of the unique program is to train volunteers who will educate the public on how to solve their landscape, water, plant nutrition, and pest problems.
Participants can expect to learn an abundance of topics including environmental horticulture, botany, ecology, pollination biology, soil science, landscape ecology, integrated pest management, organic, community, vegetable, and gardening, and so much more.
For the past century, the volunteer-driven program has put land-grant university research and education to work to preserve the balance of natural resources and quality of life for all Floridians. However, the program relies on dedicated volunteers with an interest in gardening and giving back to their communities. So, it was only natural that the UF/IFAS student volunteers included a visit to the Miramar Community Garden (MCG) on their tour.
“I visited the Miramar Community Garden last December and was so moved to see that this is a place where the community learns, shares and practices how to grow their own food and live a healthy life. We currently have active Broward County Master Gardeners teaching other members and the community at large the possibilities of growing healthy, delicious food at low cost,” explained Lorna Bravo, UF/IFAS Extension Broward County Director. “Our 2019 Master Gardener Volunteer class is introducing a new class module titled ‘Sustainable Urban Agriculture’ and the UF/IFAS Extension is collaborating with assistant professor Dr. Qiu Jiangxiao from Landscape Ecology at the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center to bring the resources and knowledge of the University of Florida faculty and staff directly to you locally through our Extension programs.”
Since May 2010, the MCG has offered an average of twenty events per year organized by member-volunteers who have donated over 24,000 hours of service to the Broward community. Due to increasing urbanization and land conversations in Florida, there has been an ever-growing interest in prompting urban agriculture for addressing social-environmental issues.
“I feel very excited to be collaborating with Dr. Qiu Jiangxiao and Miramar Community Garden on this wonderful program that connects members of our community and serves as an educational resource for the community to learn about the sources of fresh produce and healthy living, participate in community service, and hands-on health-based learning. Environmental sustainability starts in our own backyards, and UF/IFAS Extension Broward County sees great potential in this project,” added Bravo.
The Miramar Community Garden is located at 3700 Largo Drive, Fairway Park, Miramar. To learn more about the UF/IFAS program, click here or email [email protected].