The Last Resort? Exploring the impact living with food insecurity has on relationships with family and friends

目的本研究旨在探讨食物贫困的日常生活现实及其对家庭和朋友关系的影响。在英国，过去十年来，在紧缩政策的背景下，食品不安全问题日益严重。来自独立食品援助网络地图项目的最新数据估计，英国目前至少有2000家食品银行在运营（IFAN, 2017）。在一项关于特伦特河畔斯托克粮食贫困的人种学研究中，参与者谈到依靠家人和朋友的食物礼物和现金贷款。使用食物银行通常是最后的手段，但这种依赖个人关系的影响尚不清楚。来自英国最大的国家粮食不安全研究项目的数据显示，超过78%的家庭严重粮食不安全（Loopstra & Lalor, 2017）。在无法为孩子提供足够饮食的家庭中，93%的家庭至少有一名成年人经常为了养活孩子而节省自己的食物（Caplan, 2016）。另一个令人担忧的原因是英国脱欧对该国“食品贫困”的影响（Lang et al, 2017），因为英国脱欧后食品价格可能会上涨。关于如何在家庭内部管理粮食贫困及其对关系的影响，文献中存在空白。为了理解家庭支持，Finch和Mason（1993）研究了家庭内部是如何协商的，以及它在多大程度上是基于责任和义务的。霍尔（2016）的民族志研究侧重于在最近的经济衰退中挣扎度日的家庭的日常经历，强调家庭关系对于塑造我们对人们在危机时期如何管理的理解至关重要。主要研究问题本研究将调查三个广泛的领域与以下主要研究问题：1)与家人和亲属的关系如何在家庭中实际管理粮食不安全，以及对与家人和朋友的关系有什么影响？2)支持的形式从家人和朋友那里寻求什么样的帮助/支持？如何协商？3)对父母的影响粮食不安全如何影响人们如何看待自己作为父母，这对父母/孩子的关系有什么影响？方法人种志设计将用于探索和捕捉经历粮食贫困的人们的日常生活现实。由于有必要与参与者建立关系，民族志被认为是一种有效的方法方法，因为它能够引发对人们经验的丰富，全面的见解（Hall， 2011年和2016年）。为了发现和描述人们的观点，社会状况和关系，将采用定性方法。民族志允许使用多种研究方法的组合（Blaikie, 2010），因此将考虑几种方法，包括相机，数字记录器和深度访谈。预计人种志的长度约为10-12个月。参与者将通过在特伦特河畔斯托克的几个食品银行做志愿者时建立的联系来招募。这项研究有可能通过探索食物和家庭的关系特征来增加新知识，特别是家庭相互支持的方式，同时粮食不安全的耻辱往往是寻求支持的障碍。对粮食不安全的日常生活现实及其对与家人和朋友关系的影响的分析将引起人们对粮食援助受援者账户的关注，正如Cloke等人（2016）所述，这是一种压倒性的责任。在紧缩政策持续、英国即将脱离欧盟的背景下，这项研究也很及时。

AimThis research aims to explore the everyday lived realities of food poverty and its consequential impact on relationships with family and friends.RationaleIn Britain, the last decade has seen mounting food insecurity against a backdrop of austerity policies. Latest figures from Independent Food Aid Network's mapping project estimate that at least 2,000 foodbanks are currently operating in the UK (IFAN, 2017). During an ethnographic study into food poverty in Stoke-on-Trent, participants spoke of relying on family and friends for food gifts and cash loans. Using a foodbank was often a last resort, yet the impact of such reliance on personal relationships remains unknown.Data from the largest national research project on food insecurity in Britain has revealed over 78% of households are severely food insecure (Loopstra & Lalor, 2017). In households that could not afford an adequate diet for their children, 93% had at least one adult regularly skimping on their own food in order to feed their children (Caplan, 2016). An additional cause for concern is the impact of Brexit on the country's 'food poor' (Lang et al, 2017) amid the likelihood of rising food prices in the wake of Britain's departure from the EU.There is a gap in the literature on how food poverty is managed within households, and its effect on relationships. In an attempt to understand family support, Finch and Mason (1993) examined how it is negotiated within families and how far it is based on a sense of duty and obligation. Hall's (2016) ethnographical research focused on the everyday experiences of families struggling to get by in the recent economic recession, emphasising family relationships as crucial in shaping our understanding of how people manage in times of crisis.Key Research QuestionsThe study will investigate three broad areas with the following key research questions:1) Relationships with family and kinHow is food insecurity managed within households practically, and what is the impact on relationships with family and friends?2) Forms of support What sort of help/support is sought from family and friends, and how is this negotiated?3) Impact on parentingHow does food insecurity affect how people see themselves as parents, and what impact does this have on parent/child relationships?MethodologyAn ethnographic design will be used to explore and capture the everyday lived realities of people experiencing food poverty. As it will be necessary to build relationships with the participants, ethnography is considered to be an effective methodological approach because of its ability to elicit rich, holistic insights into people's experiences (Hall, 2011 and 2016).In order to discover and describe people's perspectives, social situations and relationships, a qualitative methodology will be utilised. Ethnography allows for a combination of research methods to be used (Blaikie, 2010), therefore several methods will be considered, including cameras, digital-recorders and in-depth interviews. It is anticipated that the length of the ethnography will be approximately 10-12 months. Participants will be recruited through contacts made while volunteering at several foodbanks across Stoke-on-Trent.Contribution This research has the potential to add to new knowledge through exploring the relational character of food and families, particularly the ways in which families support each other while at the same time the shame of food insecurity is often a barrier in asking for support. An analysis of the everyday lived realities of food insecurity and its impact on relationships with family and friends will draw attention to the accounts of food aid recipients, for which, as stated by Cloke et al (2016), there is an overwhelming responsibility. In a continued landscape of austerity policies and the imminent departure of the UK from the EU, this research is also timely.