Migrants in food systems: low skilled migration and migrants' lived experiences across global regimes

ESRC Impact Acceleration Account Case Study

Roxana Barbulescu is an Associate Professor in the School of Sociology and Social Policy and Associate Director at the Global Food and Environment Institute.

Roxana accessed ESRC IAA funding to extend and expand her research into migration and the food system, collating best practices, developing an international network of scholars working in the area, and collaborating with statutory bodies to support better evidence-based policies with positive impact on people’s everyday lives.

Building on existing research

Roxana’s ESRC IAA-funded project followed a larger scheme of work through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) titled ‘Feeding the Nation’, where she explored seasonal and temporary migration for work within the UK food system. “I’d collaborated with stakeholders, but it became clear this project was only the beginning,” Roxana explains. “I wanted to unpack not only the link between migration and food studies, but also the drivers of global migration in ‘low-skill, low-pay’ occupation. This model is increasingly restrictive and precarious, and people often have limited rights. Yet it’s critical to provide these food services sustainably. I felt the ESRC IAA funding could support the extension of this social impact work further.”

Scaling and growing a project globally

Roxana heard about the ESRC IAA scheme from colleagues in the School of Sociology and Social Policy as well as an internal university email from LSSI(now the Leeds Institute for Societal Futures). Following a successful application, Roxana was able to continue and consolidate her research under a new project title, ‘Migrants in food systems: low skilled migration and migrants’ lived experiences across global regimes’. “With the ESRC IAA Funding, I could continue to collaborate with Defra – the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, who I’d worked with on my initial project – and engage with new stakeholders, namely the Foods Standards Agency and Low Pay Commission,” says Roxana 1 . “Both these engagements helped me better understand the role of seasonal migrant workers and racially diverse workforces, and support policy development for a fairer and more sustainable food system.” “I also could scale up this work on an international level,” she adds. ‘So I set up a network of experts in the area of seasonal migration, and kickstarted the networks with an online event, co-hosted with Cornell University, USA, which laid the groundwork for publications 2 .”

Using ESRC IAA funding as a financial springboard

“The ESRC IAA support was helpful to continue the important work started,” Roxana continues. “I was able to use the money to travel and attend workshops and meetings, maintain relationships with professional bodies, and establish the foundations for a journal special issue. I had the capacity and resources in place to keep showcasing the impact of our research.” When Roxana’s ESRC IAA-funded project finished, she stayed connected with many key external partners. She continued collaborating with policy makers, third sector organisations and artists to raise further awareness and expand understanding of migrants in food systems. This work has been nominated for the University Impact and Engagement Award, recognised with a Faculty Partnership Award for Global Impact, and awarded the Faculty of Social Sciences Award for Global impact. “I could apply for other opportunities as they arose,” Roxana says. “For example, I was commissioned to do further research by statutory agencies – particularly for the Low Pay Commission and the Food Standards Agency.”

Connecting concept and campus through art

In the image at the top of the page, Roxana stands beside a mural painted in 1976 at the University of Leeds by Chilean students and activists who had fled General Pinochet’s military dictatorship. The mural depicts miners and agricultural workers and is inscribed in Spanish with the words ‘And there will be work for all’. “This serves as a powerful symbol of the mobility of agricultural workers and international solidarity,” Roxana concludes. “It also reflects my position at the university, as well as the core principles of my research.” The mural, which was inadvertently covered, has recently been restored, cementing its place as a marker of heritage at the university. “This is the only place on campus that honours an explicit connection between the city and migrants and refugees,” says Roxana. “It felt like a place for me to stand to support my work, as a message of solidarity.”