College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences

Community Garden Leadership Academy

Join a cohort of dedicated community garden leaders, gain valuable organizational and leadership skills, and connect with other leaders in your community!

The Community Garden Leadership Academy (CGLA) is a hands-on training for community gardeners in North Carolina. This course will cover topics such as garden organization, sustainable gardening practices, and leadership skills. Welcome for all community gardeners to join, from those just getting started to the seasoned community garden leader.

This 2- day training focuses on the “people part of the garden” by covering topics including:

  • Leadership and garden management
  • Volunteer engagement
  • Budget management

We also will address sustainable gardening best practices such as:

  • Soil health
  • Pest management
  • Food safety

Contrary to popular belief, a successful garden doesn’t rely only on sowing, weeding and harvesting. A successful garden must grow and nurture relationships between people – and together we can change the world, one garden at a time.  

This is highly participatory training designed to include the experiences of each participant. We will introduce techniques and strategies to work effectively with diverse groups by focusing on the ‘community’ part of community gardening. There is also an outdoor garden learning component because we are gardeners after all and need to spend more time in the dirt.

2025 Community Garden Leadership Academy Trainings

Guilford County

Saturday May 3rd and Saturday May 10th from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM in Greensboro, NC
Register here: https://forms.office.com/r/eFtXpMFrxN?origin=lprLink

Mecklenburg County

Check back soon for more information

Forsyth County

Saturday August 19th and Saturday August 23rd from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM in Winston Salem
Registration open soon

Contact

For more information, reach out to Morgan Malone, Community Garden Coordinator, at mlmalone@ncat.edu to find a training course near you.