Raising the future

Those of us who have been around the block a few times have seen a lot of growth in our green industry. We’re getting better at understanding the role of education in bringing a more wholistic product to market.

For example, horticulture marketing has grown from primarily garden-related DIY communications to content creation about the role of plants in science, technology, engineering and math (while holding its own on DIY). Back in the day, environmental communications was not required for my professional degree.

Environmental education was for students pursuing science careers in botany, agribusiness and commercial horticulture. Conversely, an informal poll of professional colleagues with environmental science degrees shows they didn’t have to take classes in environmental communications. Thank goodness that’s all changing as we are in what I believe is a period of professional enlightenment for our industry.

Period of enlightenment

We’re not only expert at how to propagate, grow and sell our plants — but we’re getting better at talking about them with our consumers and end-users. Leading colleges and universities not only teach environmental communications: they offer it as majors, concentrations, degrees and even whole departments.

I know my career experience is not unique — and I’m jazzed about the green industry’s dedication to education. My point is that we need each other — each career discipline working together to build an industry that does good by doing green.

It’s wonderful that students today have a suite of career-building options in and out of the classroom. Organizations like AmericanHort, American Horticultural Society, American Public Gardens Association, American Society for Horticultural Science (ASHS) and National FFA all have education components in their mission and programming.

Newer to the scene is an exciting group that is cultivating a love for plant science careers among students from middle school through college, while simultaneously opening the eyes of parents and educators about something they’re calling “plant power.” I caught up with Jazmin Albarran, Seed Your Future’s executive director, to learn how this younger organization is contributing to tomorrow’s horticulture in a very big way.

Seed Your Future

“Seed Your Future was created to build awareness of careers in the industry among students, parents and educators,” Albarran says. “We promote horticulture and inspire people to pursue careers working with plants.”

Horticulture education addresses sustainable food production, environmental conservation, urban greening, economic growth, health and well-being and plant diversity.

“It equips students with knowledge and skills to make informed decisions, empowering them to contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future,” she says.

The organization opens doors so teachers can introduce green career pathways in agriculture, floriculture, forestry and ornamental horticulture. But it doesn’t stop there. It supplies enlightenment about green careers in accounting, administration, business management, graphic design, human resources, software development — and marketing communications.

Seed Your Future grew out of a casual conversation during an ASHS conference in 2013. Discussing the decrease in plant science students across the country and labor shortages within the industry, professors and industry professionals wanted to do something to help.

A movement is born

Enter John Dole, Ph.D., associate dean and director, Academic Programs at North Carolina State University, along with Mary Meyer, Ph.D., professor emeritus in the Department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota and Doug Needham, retired director of education at Longwood Gardens. They met with Mike Neff, ASHS executive director, who brought Longwood Gardens into the conversation along with Ball Horticultural Company.

Research to understand the industry’s needs unfolded in three demographics: professional, public and children. The most telling outcome: Among respondents ages 18 to 34, 52% were not familiar with the word “horticulture.” While most Americans over age 35 were, they didn’t see horticulture as a practical career.

Led by volunteers, the group had research to inform strategic direction and an idea began to took root. A few years later, an executive director was hired and Seed Your Future began to grow.

Today, it is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization funded by businesses and individuals with a passion for educating the next generation of industry professionals and exposing them to its many opportunities. Donors are Bailey Nurseries, Ball Horticultural Company, Benary, Corteva Agriscience, Green Circle Growers, Longwood Gardens, Proven Winners, Smithers-Oasis, Syngenta, Walters Gardens and White Flower Farm.

Seed Your Future’s Advisory Council also includes individuals who are passionate about promoting green careers and workforce development. They, too, represent a wide range of the industry’s sectors.

Awareness requires action

The organization’s $800,000 operating budget funds educational resource development including workshops and webinars, digital marketing, data research, awareness and advocacy, collaboration and partnerships, and website maintenance and expansion. It also funds salary surveys, plant sector videos and documentaries and profiles about industry professionals, as well as public engagements, quizzes and contests.

Seed Your Future’s BLOOM! targets middle-schoolers. Green Career Week (Oct. 2-6, 2023) was launched as a national campaign in 2022 and supplies networking and education outreach to teens and young adults in high school and college. Among the week’s activities, industry professionals connect with their local schools, host field trips to their workplace and create content for social media campaigns using the hashtag #greencareerweek.

“Without the vision and leadership of that small group of professionals at that pivotal ASHS conference — and the volunteers who helped grow the organization — Seed Your Future wouldn’t exist today and none of this work would be in place,” Albarran says. “As an outcome of the early research, we realized we needed to start talking about our industry in a way non-horticulturists would understand. That was a real eye-opener and it’s why we developed BLOOM! It’s also why we use terms like ‘green careers’ and ‘plant power.’”

This concentration on diverse programming is working and it’s generating awareness about the vitality of green careers. But after awareness, the next step is action.

Plant ‘power’ careers

“We are creating a favorable impression about horticulture and we are increasing awareness of its value,” Albarran says. “We’re engaging, educating and getting youth excited about careers working with plants. And we are increasing the horticulture workforce and developing a strong pipeline of future talent. But we can’t do it alone. We need industry to connect with local students in their own backyards.”

For example, not all schools have gardens or greenhouses that can supply experiential activities to fuel a student’s passion for plants. Even with access to gardens and greenhouses, there still aren’t enough conversations about career pathways because educators are strapped for time and resources. Hosting students during Green Career Week is one way industry professionals can help.

Seed Your Future is making a difference, which is a win-win for everyone. The organization’s website has more than 500,000 unique visitors. Its database has 90,000-plus subscribers. Most are students, educators, parents and industry professionals.

“I often hear from industry professionals that they found horticulture by accident, or that horticulture is a second career for them,” Albarran says. “I hear that their parents talked them out of going into a career working with plants, but that it was always their passion. Most say they didn’t have access to resources to share with their parents like those Seed Your Future provides. Today’s generation has access to our career information on their phones. But to help them find their plant power, we have to get in front of as many students as possible.”

Most students know they like plants, she adds, but they don’t know how that translates into a career. Parents, generally, have negative beliefs.

Growing the future

“They think it’s not professional, that there’s no growth and you can’t make money,” Albarran says. “Educators don’t realize the complexity and diversity inherent in the industry so what they don’t know, they can’t share. We want students, educators and parents to realize how complex and fulfilling careers in horticulture are. We need to make them aware of the amount of creativity, technology, innovations and global reach within our industry. Students are told to be doctors or lawyers. No one is saying ‘be a horticulturist.’”

As we all know, there is no lack of STEM career opportunities within our industry

“There are careers in plant science, software development, urban planning and accounting — in just about every green business facet you can think of,” Albarran says. “The industry is made up of businesses and organizations that, to be successful, require leadership in these disciplines.’”

She predicts the future of horticulture education will be influenced by advancements in technology, environmental concerns and the growing recognition of the importance of sustainable practices.

“Horticulture education will prioritize interdisciplinary approaches, digital learning, practical experiences and research-driven innovation,” Albarran says. “By equipping students with relevant skills and knowledge, horticulture education can contribute to a more sustainable, efficient and resilient industry.”

But outside of the classroom, the effort requires all of us.

“Only a fraction of our industry businesses are aware that Seed Your Future exists or truly understands what we are doing,” Albarran says. “I see us collaborating with more industry stakeholders, educational institutions and professional organizations across the country. I want Seed Your Future to be the clearing house of plant science careers — connecting students, educators and parents to niche organizations and other resources within ornamental horticulture, agriculture, floriculture and forestry.”

Connections and collaborations

As we continue to create growth for our businesses and support the education of horticulture’s future, my hope is that our industry will begin finding new opportunities for partnering and cross-marketing with other sectors of sustainability.

We can learn a lot from energy, agriculture, green building, limnology and the like — and they from us. Especially as technology, innovation and consumer experiences bring us ever closer and closer to common goals in economics and environmental preservation.

I believe Albarran is right. The path from here to there lies right at our feet.