Case Studies
Magic Harvest

Design Feature

Type of Project
Local Government Initiative
State
South Australia
Location
Urban
Inspired by Lolo Houbein’s book “One Magic Square”, Magic Harvest is a program created by Tori Arbon (nee Moreton) It aims to encourage home gardening and cooking with fresh produce. Participants meet at a community space called a “Magic Harvest Hub” and learn step-by-step how to grow and cook the food they would like to eat in a series of workshops. They then mirror this at home in their own gardens. 
Creating community connection through sharing and learning
At the heart of the program is the belief that healthy food delivers more than basic nourishment; it is essential for broader wellbeing. By learning the skills of food gardening and cooking fresh produce, participants are empowered through a sense of a connection to, and control over their food source.
In the 2019 spring growing season, five Magic Harvest Hubs were established across the City of Onkaparinga. These were managed by community leaders in the City of Onkaparinga, who were trained as Magic Harvest Coordinators. The training consisted of participant recruitment, gardening and cooking workshop facilitation and program evaluation.
Coordinators recruited local participants to establish their Magic Harvest hubs together. Following the programs, they were provided with a free starter kit including organic seedlings, a bag of compost and fertiliser, to support them to develop their own plots at home. At the end of the programs, the Hubs continue into the next growing season.


The Hubs have been hosted in various community spaces including a youth centre, a positive aging centre, community centres, in community gardens and even in a resident’s front yard. Co-locating the Magic Harvest Hubs within community facilities improved the accessibility and availability of healthy food, while building a sense of place and belonging for residents who could connect and share their knowledge in a welcoming place.
In February 2019, an article published in the Health Promotion Journal of Australia1 reported that the program built community connectedness, and those who participated developed skills in food growing, healthy eating and making more sustainable food choices, while also benefiting from shared learning opportunities. With this known success, Council has invested to offer this opportunity again in Onkaparinga.  

This project has been shared in “Magic Harvest”, a documentary which shares the story of a backyard revolution developing in South Australia.
Project team
  • City of Onkaparinga, Community Projects and Healthy Active Lifestyles Onkaparinga program
  • Onkaparinga Food Security Collaborative
  • Magic Harvest, Tori Arbon


Community Hubs:
  • Aldinga - Studio 20, Onkaparinga Youth Centre
  • Reynella - Reynella Neighbourhood Centre and Vine Street Centre, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Community Centre
  • Hackham - Connected Community Garden, Hackham Baptist Church
  • McLaren Vale - The Shed, Grow and Harvest
  • Willunga - Resident’s front yard


Local business Support:
  • Bickleigh Vale Farm
  • SA Composters

Project cost
This project was supported by funding from City of Onkaparinga Healthy Active Lifestyle Onkaparinga Program, providing facilitation training and participant starter kits.

In-kind support, such as venue hire, catering and promotional costs were provided by community spaces hosting the Magic Harvest Hubs.
Health value
  • The Magic Harvest Program provides a step by step approach to simplify the process of growing healthy food.
  • It aims to increase participant’s knowledge and skills in cooking different foods through the sharing of produce from their home-grown plots and the Magic Harvest Hubs.
  • The program improves access to fresh and healthy food and promotes healthy eating from garden to plate.

Economic value
  • The Magic Harvest Program links participants to additional educational opportunities, such as training with other community gardens and food networks.
  • It also connects participants to local food producers, supporting local economy through excursions to markets and farms.
  • Consistent with a social enterprise model, excess produce grown through the project could be sold to the local community, and profits are reinvested back into the project.

Environmental value
  • The program raises awareness of where food comes from, and awareness of alternative food sources.
  • It contributes to local food security by providing access to fresh and healthy food.
  • It supports the effort to fight climate change through productive land-use, which subsequently reduces food miles, decreases food waste through utilising produce in cooking and produce swaps, and reduces landfill through the introduction of composting.

Social value
  • The Magic Harvest Program strengthens community connections through the sharing of resources and skills between participants and Hubs. For example, a key element to the program is the concept of ‘Pass It On’. Based on Jamie Oliver’s Pass It On movement, participants are inspired to share a favourite recipe or a garden tip with two friends then in turn they pass it on to another two more friends, and so on. This concept is extended to a produce swap, where participants share excess produce and the skills within their group and beyond.
  • It helps to break down socioeconomic barriers through the commonality of food.
  • It empowers individuals and supports community leadership and action.

Use value
  • The program connects participants to a variety of other community projects such as the Onkaparinga Food Security Collaborative and Community Foodies.
  • It provides links to community facilities that can host other activities and events.
  • It is addressing a community concern around poverty.
  • It provides opportunities and access to engage community in healthy behaviours.

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