Impacts

Extension Master Gardener National Summary

2022 – 2025

The 2025 Extension Master Gardener Volunteer Program (EMGV) estimated at least 76,292 EMG volunteers throughout the United States and Washington, D.C, contributed 5.1 million hours educating others, and helped people use gardening to grow food, improve their physical and mental health, and address environmental issues. Conservatively, these efforts are estimated to contribute $175.4 million dollars in value to the public.

View the 2022 – 2025 National Summary Dashboard

Growing Impact Nationwide

Extension Master Gardener programs are strengthening communities through food access, pollinator stewardship, and weather resilience to deliver measurable impact in every state.

Our Work Feeds People

Master Gardener programs provide real food to real people across the US by supporting nearly 2,000 food garden initiatives, donating more than 1.4 million pounds of hyper-local, nutrient-dense produce. In partnership with over 900 local organizations, we reached 95,000 participants through food-growing education and provided fresh produce to more than 10,000 families. Together, our work reflects a unified national impact—growing food, skills, and community in every corner of the country.

States contributed powerful examples of this work:

Arizona Master Gardener volunteers supported women in crisis through hands-on garden providing fresh produce and life skills
Kansas Master Gardener volunteers partnered with correctional facilities that yielded hundreds of thousands of pounds of produce and transformative education for inmates
Rhode Island Master Gardener volunteers distributed more than 400,000 seed packets supporting families, schools, and Head Start programs

Our Work Supports Pollinators

Pollinators are a cornerstone of our nation’s food supply and Master Gardener volunteers play a significant role in their preservation and health. Our collective work supported over 600 community and public pollinator gardens. These projects create critical pollinator habitat across the country and demonstrate practices the public can easily replicate at home. We take these efforts one step further by equipping leaders and community projects for documenting pollinator health.

Noteworthy efforts include:

District of Columbia Master Gardener volunteers developed and maintained a pollinator corridor on a major city street in our nation’s capital; operated a native plant nursery to supply seedlings for pollinator gardens across the district.
Nevada Junior Master Gardeners installed a new pollinator garden featuring drought‑tolerant, high‑desert perennials, leading to increased pollinator activity.
North Dakota Master Gardener volunteers expanded certified pollinator gardens by more than 83,000 square feet in and continued long‑term efforts supporting monarch tagging and teaching gardens.

Our Work Ensures Tomorrow’s Gardens

Master Gardener volunteers help communities prepare for and recover from extreme weather. Through science-based education and locally relevant solutions, we support resilient landscapes that are more durable and able to bounce-back both now and in the years to come. We are future-focused and continually learning new best practices for improving landscapes as demonstrated by participating in 764 resilient public spaces and equipping over 62,000 people with local strategies in 2025.

State programs illustrate how this work translates into community impact:

Minnesota Master Gardeners volunteers expand access to climate-adapted plants and demonstrate stormwater solutions through collaborative rain-garden restoration projects that also serve as outdoor learning spaces for schools
Oklahoma Master Gardeners volunteers supported long-term tornado recovery through the RETREET program, planting over 200 resilient native trees at homes, schools, and public spaces to restore canopy and community pride
Oregon Master Gardener volunteers are leading statewide conversations about weather adaptation through the Garden Future initiative, engaging thousands of gardeners at outreach events and collecting local data that informs resilient gardening practices