Including the Voices of Communities in Food Insecurity Research: An Empowerment-based Agenda for Food Scholarship

Pine, Adam; Souza, Rebecca de

doi:10.5304/jafscd.2013.034.007

Cited by 24 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 53 publications

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“…Pine and de Souza (2013) have argued that the food security scholarship has largely focused on food insecure individuals as objects of research study. They argued that there was a pressing need for more community-based participatory research, where those communities' perspectives and experiences were placed central to the research process and in the generation of data and ideas likely to yield more effective policy responses to address food poverty [55] . This research also provides, for those intent on advancing the cause of those living in poverty in this country, some experiential data upon which to critically consider the possible unintended, long-term consequences of high profile ‘food bank drives’, like that recently described by Martin Caraher in the aftermath of the recent Scottish independence referendum [56] .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is also an urgent need to conduct research into the impacts of the general experience of seeking and receiving food aid on mental and physical well-being in this country, given the rising numbers to people seeking help with feeding from charitable food sources. Moreover, given the apparent magnitude of the problem, and the dearth of research of the lived experiences of food insecurity in this country, there is also a need for research that more directly represents the lives of those affected by it in order to understand how those communities might mobilise themselves for food security and empowerment [55] .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Resourcefulness, Desperation, Shame, Gratitude and Powerlessness: Common Themes Emerging from A Study of Food Bank Use in Northeast Scotland

et al. 2015

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There is growing policy maker and public concern about current trends in food bank use in Scotland. Yet little is known about the experiences of those seeking help from food banks in this country. This research aimed to address this issue by studying the use and operation of a food bank situated in a rich northeast city during January and June 2014. The study aimed to establish who was seeking help from the food bank, their reasons for doing so, and what those who did thought of, and dealt with the food they received from it. Consequently, an audit of the food bank's client database, four months of participant observation based in the food bank, and seven face-to-face interviews with current and former food bank clients were conducted. The audit revealed that clients came from a range of socio-economic backgrounds, with men more likely to access it compared to women. Debt and social security benefit delays were cited as the main reasons for doing so. Qualitative data confirmed that sudden and unanticipated loss of income was a key driver of use. Resourcefulness in making donated food last as long as possible, keeping fuel costs low, and concern to minimise food waste were commonly described by participants. Desperation, gratitude, shame and powerlessness were also prevalent themes. Furthermore, clients were reluctant to ask for food they normally ate, as they were acutely aware that the food bank had little control over what it was able offer. Insights from this study suggest that recent UK policy proposals to address food poverty may have limited impact, without concomitant effort to address material disadvantage. Research is urgently required to determine the precise nature and extent of household level food insecurity in Scotland, and to consider monitoring for adverse physical and mental health outcomes for those affected by it.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Resourcefulness, Desperation, Shame, Gratitude and Powerlessness: Common Themes Emerging from A Study of Food Bank Use in Northeast Scotland

et al. 2015

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“…Including the voices of disempowered people provides an understanding of their experience essential for co-designing interventions ( 19 ) . Studies that place the experiences, needs and voices of people experiencing food insecurity at the forefront are critical ( 20 ) . Important questions include: what is it like to receive food charity?…”

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confidence: 99%

Gratitude, resignation and the desire for dignity: lived experience of food charity recipients and their recommendations for improvement, Perth, Western Australia

Booth

Begley

Mackintosh

et al. 2018

Public Health Nutr.

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ObjectiveThe present study explored recipients’ perceptions of food charity and their suggested improvements in inner-city Perth, Western Australia.DesignIn-depth interviews were conducted with charitable food service (CFS) recipients. Transcripts were thematically analysed using a phenomenological approach.SettingInterviews were conducted at two CFS in inner-city Perth.SubjectsFourteen adults.ResultsThe recipients’ journeys to a reliance on CFS were varied and multifactorial, with poverty, medical issues and homelessness common. The length of time recipients had relied on food charity ranged from 8 months to over 40 years. Most were ‘grateful yet resigned’, appreciative of any food and resigned to the poor quality, monotony and their unmet individual preferences. They wanted healthier food, more variety and better quality. Accessing services was described as a ‘full-time job’ fraught with unreliable information and transport difficulties. They called for improved information and assistance with transport. ‘Eroded dignity’ resulted from being fed without any choice and queuing for food in public places, often in a volatile environment. ‘Food memories and inclusion’ reflected a desire for commensality. Recipients suggested services offer choice and promote independence, focusing on their needs both physical and social.ConclusionsAlthough grateful, long-term CFS recipients described what constitutes a voluntary failure. Their service improvement recommendations can help meet their nutritional and social needs. A successful CFS provides a food service that prioritises nutritious, good-quality food and individual need, while promoting dignity and social inclusion, challenging in the current Australian context.

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“…Nelson and Stroink (2014) employ one such model in their own community, utilizing dialogic strategies from a world café and community-of-belonging model (Block, 2010). Similarly, Pine and de Souza (2013) suggest forming partnerships with communities experiencing food insecurity and using their voice to guide efforts toward changing the food system. Various facilitation processes are designed to foster such inclusive and equitable efforts, such as adaptive systems theory, strategic doing, soft systems thinking, experiential learning strategies, and Brown and Lambert's transformational learning for social change (2013).…”

Section: Conclusion and Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Local Food Innovation in a World of Wicked Problems: The Pitfalls and the Potential

Lake

Sisson

Jaskiewicz

2015

JAFSCD

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Food-oriented markets, such as food innovation districts (FIDs), have been touted as potential methods to address complex societal issues involving the environment, poverty, and health. On this front the Grand Rapids Downtown Market (DTM) was created in 2013, envisioned as a vibrant public space for local food, entrepreneurship, community health, and jobs. An innovative, collective response to the interconnected and urgent problems of poverty, access, health, diet, and environment, the DTM can serve as a case study through which the value and necessity of a wicked problems framework become apparent. Wicked problems literature demonstrates that collaborative and iterative processes are essential to effective and inclusive transformational change of food systems, while also emphasizing that there can be no final, ideal solution. On the other hand, as an FID intentionally located in a low-income neighborhood, the DTM has been subject to criticism about top-down, expensive, and exclusionary practices aimed at gentrification. In the end, this analysis suggests that while FIDs can address local problems resulting from dominant food systems and practices, they can also function as a gentrifying force. Efforts more directly aimed at bottom-up, participatory engagement are essential to making collectively systemic, equitable changes in current food systems and practices. Emphasizing the need for bridge institutions, we argue that it is essential to value actively a wider array of knowledge cultures.

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Including the Voices of Communities in Food Insecurity Research: An Empowerment-based Agenda for Food Scholarship

Cited by 24 publications

References 53 publications

Resourcefulness, Desperation, Shame, Gratitude and Powerlessness: Common Themes Emerging from A Study of Food Bank Use in Northeast Scotland

Resourcefulness, Desperation, Shame, Gratitude and Powerlessness: Common Themes Emerging from A Study of Food Bank Use in Northeast Scotland

Gratitude, resignation and the desire for dignity: lived experience of food charity recipients and their recommendations for improvement, Perth, Western Australia

Local Food Innovation in a World of Wicked Problems: The Pitfalls and the Potential

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