Transforming refugee communities, one garden at a time

Since 2015, Lemon Tree Trust has been transforming refugee and IDP (internally displaced people) camps through gardening, improving mental health, fostering community and providing opportunities for economic growth.

Gardening is a proven therapeutic tool in addressing isolation, restoring dignity, as well as creating beauty and food security.

Our vision

We dream of a world where every refugee camp and community of forced migrants has access to gardens – spaces that bring hope, nourishment and connection.

Our mission

Our work focuses on four key areas:

1. Improving mental health and wellbeing
2. Community building with focus on women’s empowerment and youth engagement
3. Greening local environments for the long term
4. Food security and independent access to fresh produce

We do this by supporting people to build home gardens (both ornamental and productive), supporting communities to build community gardens, running gardening and cooking competitions, and distributing seeds, seedlings, plants and trees to help ‘green’ camp environments.

“For the people we work with in refugee communities, gardens are an essential part of their lives. They bring beauty, restore dignity and reignite hope in the future. But importantly, we know that gardens offer an incredible opportunity for profitable enterprise and we are committed, personally and professionally, to helping drive a new refugee economy through horticulture.”

– Stephanie Hunt, Founder & CEO, Lemon Tree Trust

Meet our team

Most of our team are displaced people living and working in the very camps we serve. Meet the people behind the gardens.

Our 2024–2027 strategy

From 2024 to 2027, we are concentrating our efforts on creating greater impact and reaching more communities than ever before:

1. Create environments, where people, gardening and nature can thrive, enhancing mental health and food security
2. Inspire and support people in to gardening, with guidance, tools, and encouragement
3. Collaborate with people and organisations to deliver the best possible outcomes
4. Grow the number of people we help so more communities benefit from our work

Every garden we plant, every person we empower, brings us closer to our vision.

Our work and the UN Sustainable Development Goals

Our projects contribute directly to several of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including:

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger, by increasing food security through local growing.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing, by improving mental health and community resilience through a range of gardening activities.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality, by empowering women and supporting their leadership in community initiatives.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, by creating greener, more sustainable living environments in refugee and IDP (internally displaced people) camps.
• SDG 15: Life on Land, by promoting biodiversity and environmental restoration through planting and greening.

Find out more about our work – read our Frequently Asked Questions.

Our impact

Read our annual Impact Reports:

• Impact Report 2024
• Impact Report 2023
• Impact Report 2022
• Impact Report 2021
• Impact Report 2020
• Impact Report 2019
• Impact Report 2018

Follow our latest progress on Instagram, Facebook and Bluesky.

“I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard I could have a garden here… We’ve all been displaced and are suddenly living in a desert without trees… I see life in this garden. It cleans the air and gives people hope.”

– Ahmed Tamo, Domiz 1 camp, Kurdistan Region of Iraq

In the news

The Lemon Tree Trust’s work and refugee gardener stories feature in…  

2022

• art27’s reSounding podcast – ‘Putting Down Roots’ (episode 18)
• Centre for Minorities Research Podcast – season 2, episode 1
• The Simple Things magazine – November issue
  

2021

• Young Propagators Society zine – issue 7

2020

• Weeds & Words podcast – season 3, episode 1
• Where The Leaves Fall – issue 4
• Bloom magazine – issue 7
• Floret Flowers – interview with Founder Stephanie Hunt
• The Guardian: ‘Gardening tips: donate seeds to refugee gardeners’ – Jane Perrone 
• Woman’s Weekly magazine
• Easy Gardens magazine
• Sustainable Food Trust: ‘Gardening brings hope in refugee camps’ – Jennie Spears
• The National: ‘Refugees in Iraqi Kurdistan seek solace in camp gardens amid coronavirus lockdown’ – Olivia Cuthbert

2019

• The National: ‘Princess Tatiana of Greece lauds Iraq’s refugee camp gardens at Dubai conference’ – Melanie Hunt

2018

• Gardens Illustrated: ‘Gardens of hope’ – Caroline Beck
• The National: ”In my garden, I feel like I’m in my kingdom’: the growing green spaces of Iraq’s refugee camps’ – Melanie Hunt
• RHS Chelsea Flower Show – a round-up of coverage featuring the Lemon Tree Trust garden
• Food Tank: ‘Urban Agriculture and Forced Displacement in Iraq: “This garden is my kingdom”’ – Helene Schulze

Research papers and articles

These articles, some of which reference the Lemon Tree Trust, are written by academic researchers working in the area of urban agriculture and life sciences. This content covers several interdisciplinary topics, including forced migration and the creation of ‘accidental cities’, food and water systems/security, greening innovation, agroforestry, biodiversity and sustainability.

• MSc Thesis Rural Sociology – Rural Sociology – Wageningen University: ‘Cultivating home : an exploratory study of greening and gardening in Domiz 1 camp, the Kurdistan region of Iraq’ – Maike de Leeuw
• International Journal of Design & Nature and Ecodynamics, volume 14, issue 2 (2019): ‘Cultivating refuge: The role of urban agriculture amongst refugees and forced migrants in the Kurdistan region of Iraq’ – M. Tomkins, S. Yousef , A. Adam-bradford, C. Perkins, E. Grosrenaud, M. Mctough & A. Viljoen
• ECHO Asia Notes, issue 38 (2018): ‘Refugee camps as microcosm: restoration & sustainability in an accidental city’ – Gene Fifer
• Urban Agriculture Magazine, issue 31 (2016): ‘Linking urban farming and urban planning in times of crisis’ – Andrew Adam-Bradford (page 38) 
• Agriculture for Development, issue 28 (2016): ‘Agroforestry for refugee camps’ – Andrew Adam-Bradford (page 31)

Books

Gardens That Can Save the World: Garden designer Lottie Delamain draws on 65 projects from around the world, including Lemon Tree Trust, to show how green spaces can address some of our most pressing challenges, from climate change to conflict and hardship. An uplifting exploration of how gardens can repair, nourish, empower and heal.

Therapeutic Gardens: Design for Healing Spaces: Landscape architect Daniel Winterbottom and occupational therapist Amy Wagenfeld combine expertise to show how gardens can be designed to support wellbeing, movement and mental health. Drawing on case studies from around the world, this practical guide also covers trauma-responsive design and designing for neurodivergence.

The Well-Gardened Mind: The Restorative Power of Nature: Psychiatrist and psychotherapist Sue Stuart-Smith shares how being in nature can radically transform our health, wellbeing and confidence. She presents scientific findings, insights and stories from asylum seekers, veterans and inner-city young people.

International Handbook of Occupational Therapy Interventions: Tania Wiseman and Gaynor Sadlo report the many physical benefits of outdoor exercise, the community benefits of doing things together, the importance of green spaces in reducing stress and increasing resilience, and the value of activity and occupational therapy in trauma recovery.