Author: Lori Bowling
Planning Unit: Boyd County CES
Major Program: Master Gardener
Plan of Work: Best Management Practices in Home Horticulture
Outcome: Long-Term Outcome
Since 2001 the Boyd County Extension Horticulture program has offered the Certified Kentucky Master Gardener program at the Federal Correctional Institution Camp in Ashland, Ky. There have been over 450 inmates that have gone through this program with an average of 80% of those becoming Certified Kentucky Master Gardeners. The inmates learn in both a classroom setting and through hands on learning activities to be sure they understand the course content. They perform their volunteer hours in the 6-acre garden located at the facility which produces fresh fruits and vegetables that benefit those less fortunate in the local community through a partnership with a food distribution center, River Cities Harvest, that serves 28 agencies in Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia. The 2022 class had 12 graduates from this program and the garden produced over 91,000 lbs of produce. Because of the success of this program, the Bureau of Prisons determined that the Ashland Facility could benefit from hiring a Vocational Technical Horticulture Instructor to work directly with the Extension Service to help to continue not only this program but for future horticulture program opportunities and certifications for inmates. Many of the inmates who have become Certified Master Gardeners have been able to secure gainful employment upon release back into society or they have gone on to pursue more education in the horticulture field. This program has proven that not only does it benefit the local community, but it benefits the inmates with horticulture skills to build on and also offers them a form of therapy to help them be able to cope with the time they must serve in the facility.
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