Edible Estates is seeking a motivated and culturally sensitive individual to join our team as a Senior Community Researcher to lead our New Scots Community Garden Integration Study. This role will oversee the implementation of a research project exploring how community gardens can support the integration and well-being of new Scots in Edinburgh.

Edible Estates is a not-for-profit organisation, our core operation is the development of community gardens and other greenspace projects in Edinburgh’s council estates. The study will leverage Edible Estates role delivering and supporting community gardening projects across Edinburgh's council estates.

The successful candidate will work closely with new Scots, community researchers, community garden development officers, and local organisations to facilitate meaningful engagement between new Scots and community gardens.

New Scots Community Garden Study

The New Scots Community Garden Study is a research project led by Edible Estates to explore how community gardens can support the integration and well-being of new Scots in Edinburgh. This study aims to understand the impact of community gardening on recent immigrants and refugees, their capacity to bring new Scots and local communities together through shared gardening activities, allowing for cultural exchange and the development of social connections, while also identifying barriers to participation and opportunities for enhancing social connections.

The study is funded by Groundswell, a consortium of universities investigating the links between greenspace and wellbeing. Staff from the OPENspace Research Centre will collaborate in the delivery of the study and incorporate it’s findings into their research.

Key objectives of the study include:

• Assessing the current involvement of new Scots in community gardens across Edinburgh.
• Identifying barriers that may prevent new Scots from participating in community gardening activities.
• Exploring the potential benefits of community gardening for new Scots, including improved well-being, cultural exchange, and community integration.
• Evaluating the capacity of existing community gardens to welcome and support new Scots.
• Developing strategies to increase new Scots' participation in community gardens.