Empowering a regional community with improved food skills and resources
Researchers are working with a regional community organisation to explore ways of improving food literacy and access to healthy and nutritious food.
The Good Neighbourhood Project, based in the Geelong suburb of Norlane in Victoria, is a community-led organisation which takes a whole-of-neighbourhood approach to create a healthy, sustainable, inclusive and resilient community.
Its initiatives include a social enterprise cafe, urban farm, community gardens, neighbourhood meals and food co-operatives.
Norlane is among many communities facing challenges with issues such as high unemployment, food insecurity and social isolation, impacting residents’ social, economic, physical and mental wellbeing.
Associate Professor Kristy Bolton is leading research, funded by a VicHealth Impact Grant, as part of the project.
“The Good Neighbourhood Project has been transformative for Norlane residents,” Associate Professor Bolton said.
“With increasing cost and disruptions to food supply, it’s more important than ever for the community to build capacity in food literacy.
“Our previous research has highlighted a gap when it comes to knowing how and what to cook and eat for good health. This research project addresses the gap.”
Associate Professor Bolton and team are working to:
- understand how The Good Neighbourhood Project initiatives impact access to affordable and nutritious food and social connection;
- design, deliver and evaluate a food literacy program, called Cook.Eat, to address a community-defined need for improved food literacy; and
- explore potential to scale up the Cook.Eat program for new communities and contexts.
Together with The Good Neighbourhood Project, the research team co-designed, pilot-tested and implemented evidence-based food literacy strategies through a new program, Grow.Cook.Eat, during 2024.
The next stage involves interviewing community participants, staff and volunteers to understand how the other The Good Neighbourhood Project initiatives impact access to healthy affordable food and community connection, as well as determine the cost of resources used to deliver the initiatives.
“We hope to see many benefits including increased knowledge and confidence in growing and cooking food, better access to healthy and affordable food, and improved social connections and wellbeing.”
