Operating across South Devon, an area marked by structural economic and social inequality, Diversity in Gardens (DIG), aspires to provide diverse communities with access to leading-edge land-based projects.

The project is a collaboration between Radical Ecology, The Apricot Centre, and Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support (DCRS), rooted in the understanding that the principle of diversity is essential to the regeneration of land, lives, and livelihoods.

Grounded in the power of cultural exchange and nature connection, DIG seeks to build bridges between communities, fostering inclusion in green spaces, land work, and food cultivation skills. The project is built upon shared social values of equality, diversity, and compassion, and aims to break down systemic inequities by providing access to nature for marginalised communities.

DIG's vision revolves around developing practical and inclusive land and food-based opportunities that specifically welcome communities from disadvantaged backgrounds without easy access to green space. By growing, eating, learning, working, and celebrating land and produce together, diversity - in soil, plants, and people - is woven into the fabric of the DIG community.

DIG is led by three partner organisations dedicated to the project's vision: The Apricot Centre is a biodynamic, organic farm and wellbeing service, Radical Ecology works across art, research, and policy for environmental transformation, and Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support is a charity supporting asylum seekers and refugees across South West England.

DIG emerged from the success of Communities of the Soil (CoS), a collaborative project focused on increasing access to nature in Plymouth and Paignton. Building on CoS's foundation, DIG seeks to create welcoming spaces for growing food, boosting wellbeing, and fostering a sense of belonging.

DIG's pilot programme, running from February to June 2024, invites communities including refugees, asylum seekers, young people, BAME communities, and other marginalised groups, to experience local green spaces throughout the seasons. The programme not only focuses on growing, harvesting, and eating together and developing hands-on experience in local green spaces, but also celebrates cultural stories around food.

For a professional landscaper from Gaza, this project means he can engage with a craft that he loves and pass on his knowledge through skill sharing. A cook from Jamaica shares his passion for Ital - a plant-based diet - preparing dishes for the group using local ingredients. A participant from Georgia has been working with the project continuously for over a year – despite being moved throughout Devon. This consistency has helped him build a community and become familiar with the Devon landscape.

DIG's vision centres on skill development, providing access to gardening and craft skills, along with regenerative land-based systems education leading to certified qualifications. DIG aims to support wellbeing, employability, and sector development levels. The project emphasises initial volunteering engagements, potentially leading to employment opportunities through skill and network development.

Initially focusing on Torbay and Plymouth, the network aims to expand sustainably through existing relationships with UK cultural and heritage organisations.

The project addresses Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in nature through access to horticulture, gardening, farms, and walks in nature. Almost 40% of people of BAME backgrounds live in England’s most green space-deprived neighbourhoods, compared to 14% of white people.*

DIG aims to establish a Devon-wide network of regenerative land-based projects, supported through diversity and inclusion training. By engaging and supporting marginalised communities, the project offers learning, skills development, and volunteering opportunities with the potential to lead participants towards qualifications and jobs in regenerative growing, catering, and other industries. The anticipated impact includes empowering green growth, local opportunity, and building climate resilience by fostering diverse and cohesive communities.

Diversity in Gardens goes beyond cultivating land and growing food to foster connections, break down barriers, and build a sustainable and inclusive future for the communities most marginalised in society.

* https://policy.friendsoftheearth.uk/insight/englands-green-space-gap