The Miaoxia Village Community Kitchen, a cross-disciplinary research project, implemented a community kitchen and social enterprise in 2015. The collaboration developed ‘software’ through Action Research (local understanding, dialogue and engagement; social systems and services) and ‘hardware’ through the applied research methodology of Participatory Design processes (design process, constructed spaces, capacity development and skill extension), involving over 100 participants. The resulting kitchen enables larger events to be catered for including festivals, weddings and visiting groups, and generates revenue for the villagers. It fosters positive change in the village, activating skills, self-organising capacities and higher levels of community cohesion.
