Logan Kitchen Garden Project: Cities for Better Health

Logan Kitchen Garden Project: Supporting collective impact and place-based priorities

We recently commenced the Logan Kitchen Garden Project at Eagleby South State School on Yugambeh Country in Queensland as part of a significant initiative aimed at addressing health inequities and supporting positive food education in the local area. This community project is made possible by the Novo Nordisk Cities for Better Health program, which fosters impactful prevention partnerships around the globe.

Building on priorities identified by Logan Together community leaders in 2023 as part of Walking Together for Logan’s Children, the project will fund Eagleby South State School and up to 10 additional schools and early childhood centres to join the Kitchen Garden Program. These participants will receive a Kitchen Garden Program membership, infrastructure and support, to enable them to deliver hands-on food education. Jinndi Mibunn’s community garden initiative will also be supported. The initiative also includes professional development sessions for educators, community engagement activations and ongoing coordination and support from the Foundation.

To celebrate the start of the Logan Kitchen Garden Project, our CEO, Dr Cathy Wilkinson, met with partners, community leaders and the Novo Nordisk executive team at Eagleby South State School. They were given a warm welcome by Principal Andrew Barnes, and student leaders, who gave a tour of the proposed development site and shared their vision for their new Kitchen Garden Program.

A roundtable with community leaders was held in the afternoon to learn more about Logan’s priorities and how to best walk alongside local community leaders and organisations. There were so many great ideas and valuable stories of impact shared by Logan Together, Jinndi Mibunn leaders, the Mayor of Logan City, Wesley Mission, the Australian Institute of Play and Health and Wellbeing Queensland. The enthusiasm of all those in attendance was palpable and highlighted the need for impactful prevention partnerships to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for children. 

The Logan Kitchen Garden Project is supported by the Novo Nordisk Cities for Better Health program and delivered by the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation (SAKGF). Cities for Better Health is a global network that helps build impactful prevention partnerships at the city level, foster trust among stakeholders and gather compelling evidence for action in cities across the world. Its objective is to promote and expand prevention initiatives with clear, long-term contributions to health equity together with the communities where they work. 

Logan in Queensland is the first Australian city to join Novo Nordisk’s Cities for Better Health global public-private partnership network. We’re so excited to see this new project officially underway to deliver a gardening and food education project for children and young people across Logan, teaching them how to grow, harvest, prepare and share fresh, healthy food.  

For more details on this Queensland initiative or to get involved, please reach out to our team via partnership@kitchengardenfoundation.org.au.