Dr. Laura Warner

Professor

Laura Warner

Dr. Warner is a professor and an Extension education specialist in translating behavioral theory into practical action. Her focus includes program evaluation, behavior change, and social marketing.

Dr. Warner’s research focuses on understanding behavioral influences on best practice adoption (especially those related to water conservation/quality and pollinator conservation) and incorporates these findings into strategies to elicit behavior change.

Through her Extension programs, Dr. Warner supports Extension professionals in eliciting behavior change among their clientele and capturing resulting outcomes and impacts.

Dr. Warner has Bachelors and Masters degrees in Environmental Horticulture from the University of Florida, and an Ed.D. in Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications jointly from Texas A&M and Texas Tech Universities.

Research and Extension

  • Human dimensions of natural resources conservation
  • Identifying factors that influence residents’ use of water conservation and quality practices
  • Evaluating the impact of messaging strategies on attitudes and landscape best practices
  • Designing innovative behavior change strategies for extension professionals
  • Measuring the impact of UF/IFAS urban water-focused extension programs

Certificate Program

Cultivating Community Change: Certificate Program in Social Marketing — Social marketing is a proven behavior-change strategy that applies traditional marketing principles to behavior change that benefits a community and its residents. Dr. Warner offers this online certificate program, designed to provide an overview of this strategy as applied to Extension and outreach programming.

Select Publications

Silvert, C. J., Warner, L. A., Diaz, J. M., Taylor, N., Ruggeri, D. (2024). A call for water conservation research interventions informed by community engagement and input: “There was no going back after my trust in it turned”. Frontiers in Water, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2024.1395414

Warner, L. A., Kalauni, D., Diaz, J. M., Yazdanpanah, M., & Pasula, S. (2024). Beyond awareness: the persuasion stage of decision-making explains urban residents’ compliance with landscape irrigation restrictions. Urban Water Journal, 21(4), 436–447. https://doi.org/10.1080/1573062X.2024.2312498

Warner, L. A., Cardenas-Lailhacar, B., Dukes, M. D., Taylor, N., Irwin, D., and Harmon, J. (2023). Insights from residents under year-round irrigation restrictions to improve water conservation impacts. AWWA Water Science, 5(4), e1348. https://doi.org/10.1002/aws2.1348

Warner, L. A., and Diaz, J. M. (2023). High impact water conservation: Factors explaining residents’ intent to reduce irrigation in the yard. International Journal of Water Resources Development, 39(3), 507–529. https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2022.2093170

Warner, L. A., Rihn, A. L., Fulcher, A., Schexnayder, S., LeBude, A. V., and Joshi, A. (2022). A theory of planned behavior evaluation of growers’ intent to use automated nursery technologies. Horticulturae, 8(11), 1028. https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8111028

Current Funding

Title: “Labor, Efficiency, Automation, and Production: LEAP Nursery Crops Toward Sustainability”
Duration: 2024-2029
Funding Agency: U.S. Department of Agriculture – National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Award Amount: $9.8M
Role: co-Principle Investigator

Title: “Rainfall signage to reduce residential irrigation”
Duration: 2021-2023
Funding Agency: Southwest Florida Water Management District
Award Amount: $107,474
Role: Principle Investigator

Title: “If you build it will they buzz?”
Duration: 2021-2024
Funding Agency: USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Award Amount: $476,019
Role: co-Principle Investigator

Title: “Roadsides project to support biodiversity.”
Duration: 2023-2024
Funding Agency: Disney Conservation Fund
Award Amount: $27,149
Role: co-Principle Investigator

Title: “Investigating urban residents’ willingness to navigate barriers preventing landscape maintenance activities that support wildlife”
Duration: 2023-2024
Funding Agency: University of Florida Center for Land Use Efficiency
Award Amount: $37,255
Role: Principle Investigator

Agricultural Education and Communication

PO Box 110540
Gainesville, FL 32611
Phone: (352) 273-0202
E-mail: lsanagorski@ufl.edu

Publications

Other faculty

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    Dr. Eban Bean

    Associate Professor

  • Headshot of Michael Dukes

    Dr. Michael Dukes

    Director, UF/IFAS Center for Land Use Efficiency

  • Tina McIntyre

    Tina McIntyre

    Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Agent

  • Erin Harlow

    Erin Harlow

    Residential and Commercial Horticulture Agent

  • Gail Hansen

    Dr. Gail Hansen

    Professor

  • Basil Iannone

    Dr. Basil Iannone

    Associate Professor and State Extension Specialist, Urban and Residential Landscape Ecology

  • Gerald Murphy JD, AICP, CFM

    State Specialized Program Agent – Flood Resilient Communities

  • Catherine Campbell

    Dr. Catherine Campbell

    Assistant Professor

  • Jennison Kipp

    M. Jennison Kipp

    Resource Economist

  • Don Rainey

    Don Rainey

    Water Resources Regional Specialized Agent

  • Hayk Khachatryan

    Dr. Hayk Khachatryan

    Professor and Extension Economist

  • Lisa Krimsky

    Dr. Lisa Krimsky

    Water Resources Regional Specialized Agent

  • Lakesh Sharma

    Dr. Lakesh Sharma

    Assistant Professor

  • Andrew Koeser

    Dr. Andrew Koeser

    Associate Professor

  • Claire Lewis

    Claire Lewis

    Director, State Specialized Agent

  • Photo of Andrea Albertin

    Dr. Andrea Albertin

    Water Resources Regional Specialized Agent

  • Chris Marble

    Dr. Christopher Marble

    Associate Professor

  • Paul Monaghan

    Dr. Paul Monaghan

    Extension Specialist in Community-Based Social Marketing

  • Nick Taylor

    Dr. Nick Taylor

    State Specialized Extension Agent

  • Ryan Klein

    Dr. Ryan Klein

    Assistant Professor

  • Michelle Atkinson

    Michelle Atkinson

    Horticulture Agent

  • Mary Lusk

    Dr. Mary Lusk

    Assistant Professor

  • Sudeep Sidhu

    Dr. Sudeep Sidhu

    Water Resources Regional Specialized Agent

  • AJ Lindsey

    Dr. AJ Lindsey

    Assistant Professor

  • Wendy Wilber

    Wendy Wilber

    Statewide Coordinator

  • Taylor Clem

    Dr. Taylor Clem

    County Extension Director

  • AJ Reisinger

    Dr. Alexander Reisinger

    Associate Professor

  • Yilin Zhuang

    Dr. Yilin Zhuang

    Water Resources Regional Specialized Agent