Idman & Ali started Earth Tenders as a roaming, seasonal workshop provider in communities across London – offering nature and holistic facilitation. They offer low, or no-cost workshops and training in food growing, medicine making, nature walks, crafts and wellbeing practice for their communities. 

They’ve recently been granted responsibility of Dulwich Vegetable Garden which now serves as a base for Earth Tenders. They are in the midst of their first growing season and shared that they want the space to be “a community space, and to be about so much more than food learning. It’s a space to gather, especially for those who don’t feel comfortable in other community gardens.” 

They want to create “a space that no matter who you are and what your experience is you can get stuck in. It’s a space to come together and connect with the land and each other.” 

Idman and Ali explained their exploration of non-western methods of growing and our relationship with food. They reflected that food we eat and plants we grow in the UK have origins, history and travel pathways that we don’t usually consider. By sharing the origins and roots of growing, and the ceremony and folklore songs around planting they have created a space that celebrates the rich knowledge and traditions of global cultures that are often overlooked in western gardening.  

A thread running throughout their work and the stories they shared was how well the workshops and the space has been received, and how much positive feedback they’ve had – showing the need for a space and organisation like theirs. Their feedback includes people sharing how safe and welcome they feel, and that the garden brings happiness, joy and nurture to those that access it.  

Earth Tenders as a project is predominantly outside, and therefore sees the impact of climate change first hand on the garden in Dulwich, and through their workshops. They shared that this year they’ve really noticed the lack of bees as a stark reminder of how we’re all impacted by the climate crisis, and how much nature and our environment are interconnected. 

As their network continues to grow, through the borough of Southwark and into wider South London we look forward to celebrating their success, visiting the garden & supporting them at GOOD. 

You can find out more about their work here: https://www.earthtenders.co.uk/