Webinar

The ‘undeserving poor’: How food system transformation is middle class and why this needs to change

Let’s deal with an elephant in the room: Transforming the food system is largely an occupation pursued by middle class professionals on salaries. Whether it be in academia, policy research and design, government, NGOs, or food sector management – most of the people making decisions (or aiming to inform decisions) about the agri-food system, don’t themselves have living experience of poverty, food insecurity and inequality. What impact will this have on food system transformation going forwards, if voices of people with such experiences are not included in a more meaningful way? How can they be given an ongoing and equal seat at the table to ensure a just transition? What are the realities of living with poverty that many of those working on food system transformation don’t consider or understand? Dominic Watters digs into all of this for us in this thought provoking webinar. As a single dad living in poverty and food and fuel insecurity, Dominic’s ability to tell it like it is and connect the dots on poverty, has made him an increasingly sought after voice on these issues. He is a campaigner, speaker, and author of Social Distance in Social Work: COVID Capsule One.

Dominic covers:

  • What professionals often get wrong/ don’t understand about living with poverty and food insecurity
  • The realities of living in poverty in the UK in 2023: How multiple insecurities impact diet and health
  • How the voices of poor people are often treated in forums dedicated to food system transformation: Dominic’s own experiences of exclusion
  • Gaps in law and policy regarding wellbeing
  • How the net zero agenda could deepen or alleviate poverty and insecurity, depending on our path
  • How to do things better: How to include voices and experiences of those living in poverty in food system transformation
  • Top tips: Key questions to embed in research/ policy design to ensure a just transition

About Dominic:

Dominic Watters, also known as Single Dad SW, comes from the most deprived blocks of his council estate. He has used his experience of the daily realities of poverty to help inform discussions about fuel and food insecurity in the UK. Dominic highlights the snobbery he has faced when shaping the concept of ‘living experience’, (Watters, D. 2021), that stresses the urgency required to address the inequalities experienced by the poor long before the cost-of-living crisis was conceived. Releasing his first book in 2021, that now has been reviewed in leading academic journals and is stocked in university libraries across the country, Dominic invites the reader into an environment drenched in poverty to raise awareness of the challenges faced by so many, and as noted by Azra Bloomfield, “This book is a mark of respect to everyday people”, (2023). Dominic says that his writing has been a lonely pursuit at times but felt great encouragement through receiving endorsements from Sir Michael Marmot, David Brindle, and Anna Taylor of the Food Foundation. His impactful appearances on BBC Newsnight, Sky News, and the New Statesman to name a few, have shown him to use every platform he can access to speak up for the marginalised and often unheard. Now widely regarded as a voice of poverty and on the editorial board of the British Journal of Social Work (Oxford University Press), Dominic has designed a ground-breaking training that promotes a Food and Fuel Insecurity Best Practice model for those supporting the most disadvantaged in our society.

About the webinar series:

This webinar is part of a monthly series run by AFN Network+ which explores net zero in the UK agri-food system with leading movers and shakers. Expect deep and varied insight from across the sector, including farmers, scientists, policy analysts, community leaders, retailers, politicians, businesses and health professionals. The series is organised by Jez Fredenburgh our Knowledge Exchange Fellow, and Prof Neil Ward, AFN Co-lead and Professor of rural geography. Jez and Neil are based in the School of Environmental Sciences, and the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, at the University of East Anglia.

For a full transcript of the webinar, watch the video on our YouTube page

 

Jez Fredenburgh

Author: Jez Fredenburgh

Knowledge Exchange Fellow