In this paper, we examine how the ‘new normal’ of pandemic-living transformed the local food environment in Ontario as pandemic foodscapes. Using selected findings from mixed methods research with a small sample of recently resettled refugees in the Waterloo region, we evaluated how these changes affected their grocery shopping and food-sourcing habits. We identify the […]
In this research brief, I explain the photovoice research method and how it was organized with the Syrian women participants. I also offer some personal and critical reflections on my role as a peer researcher and sole facilitator for this study. I identify some challenges faced during the study and offer some suggestions for future
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated the vulnerabilities of migrants and refugees in secondary cities in Canada, where the restrictive food environment and limited resources heightened challenges related to food security. This study investigates how the intersectionality of immobility, gender, and food insecurity shaped the lived experiences of recently resettled Syrian, Somali and Afghanistan refugees
This policy audit explores the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security in Canada, with a focus on immigrants, refugees, and other marginalized communities, particularly in Ontario and the Waterloo Region. COVID-19 significantly exacerbated food insecurity in the country, adding to existing vulnerabilities especially in historically disadvantaged communities, who already faced barriers such as
COVID-19 Impacts on Food Security of Refugees and Other Vulnerable Populations in Canada Read More »
This research brief presents findings from a qualitative study conducted through the Photovoice methodology with Somali migrants in Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada. The study uncovers the multi-dimensional impacts of food insecurity, particularly in relation to culturally appropriate food access, the disproportionate care burdens on women, and the rising costs of basic necessities during the pandemic.
Although studies have identified food insecurity as a racialized inequity issue disproportionately affecting Black identifying Canadians, research exploring how anti-Black racism across multiple systems create inequities including increased risk for food insecurity among African Caribbean Black identifying households in Canada, is limited. Using an intersectionality lens, this scoping review addresses this knowledge gap by elucidating
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the vulnerabilities faced by women in the informal food sector in the Global South, deepening existing gender inequalities and economic inequities. Women informal food vendors play a critical role in ensuring food security in urban areas, yet their contributions are often undervalued and unsupported by formal policy frameworks. This policy
Canadian Support for Women in the Informal Food Sector in the Global South Read More »
This research brief presents survey and interview data which was collected in the Kitchener- Waterloo (K-W) area in Ontario in 2022. It aims to depict the experience of refugees in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, with reference to their household food security and how gender and COVID-19 reproduced the structural challenges faced during resettlement in
The Hungry Cities Partnership has received a four-year (2017-2021) grant from the Canadian Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarships advanced scholars program to fund the exchange of doctoral, post-doctoral and early career scholars between Canada and partner cities. Learn More (PDF)
QES-AS Program: Governing Urban Food Systems in the Global South Read More »
This foundation project of the Hungry Cities Partnership is funded by the SSHRC and IDRC under the International Partnerships for Sustainable Societies Program (IPaSS). The project has facilitated the formation of an initial seven-city research and policy network across the Global South linked to researchers at five Canadian universities. The project has embarked on a
IPaSS: Informality, Inclusive Growth and Food Security in Cities of the Global South Read More »
