ABSTRACT
Inequality in food access is fundamentally unjust. It is an outcome and symptom of wider social inequalities which, in turn, are driven by national-level policies and the economic conditions within countries. But while the drivers of (food) inequality in wealthier countries like the UK and the US are largely national, responses to the outcomes of food inequality – food insecurity and hunger – tend to occur at the local level. These responses are not led by the Governments that implement national-level policies or manage economies. Rather, they are led by non-state organisations, like charities and not-for-profits. The resulting mismatch makes for a complex, dynamic, and challenging research landscape. In this book, we will provide an overview of resources, approaches, and theories to guide researchers and groups who want to undertake locality-based research in their communities. In essence, we are conceptualising and addressing food inequality at the scale at which it is typically addressed: the local. This focus on the local also explains, to an extent, what we will not be doing. There is a comprehensive and well theorised literature on both food systems and on the right to food. Our aim is to inform and theorise applied research; so while we draw upon these literatures, we are not seeking to extend them.
