PhD Studentship - Inequalities in Market Access to Nutrient Dense Foods: A Mixed Methods Investigation in Rural India

Inadequate access to nutritious diets poses a major challenge to the health of poorer and marginalised people in rural India. Nutrient-dense foods, particularly fruits, vegetables, milk, meat and eggs, are inadequately available or unaffordable at many local retail markets of relevance to the rural poor. Interactions with the market can be further shaped by gender and other social identities. For instance, rural and lower caste women may lack access to timely market information and face challenges in negotiating prices. Research in this area is limited, and especially little is known about how social identities such as gender and caste interact to influence market experiences and access to nutrient-dense foods. This PhD project will address this gap in knowledge.

This PhD project will leverage data and resources available from the new ‘Indian Food Systems for Improved Nutrition’ (INFUSION) project led by University of Sheffield (although the funding for this studentship is independent of INFUSION).

The proposed PhD research will be interdisciplinary, drawing upon theories, concepts and literatures from geography, sociology, economics and public health, with a mixed methods orientation. Quantitative data will be collected in collaboration with INFUSION in Bihar, India, from a set of haats (local retail markets) on aspects such as seasonal availability and prices of nutrient-dense foods, and from local consumers in the catchments of those haats on aspects such as access to market information, food shopping experiences and diets. This will be complemented with qualitative data collection methods such as structured (market) observation and semi-structured interviews. The data collection as well as subsequent analysis will be designed to throw light upon how food market experiences and outcomes differ by social groups and their intersections, and the bearing that this has on nutrient-dense food access and consumption.

Eligibility

You will:

• Demonstrate your enthusiasm to conduct interdisciplinary research with a mixed-methods orientation.
• Have completed an undergraduate degree classified at equivalent to 2.1 and Masters degree in a relevant topic.
• Due to the multidisciplinary nature of this project candidates from a wide variety of disciplines will be considered with relevant expertise such as (but not limited to), human geography, economics, sociology, development studies, public health.
• Be willing to travel and conduct extensive fieldwork in Bihar, India.
• Have excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Have excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to liaise effectively with colleagues, and internal and external stakeholders.

Training and interactions

As a PhD student at the globally reputed Department of Geography at University of Sheffield, you will receive training to support your career development: www.sheffield.ac.uk/geography/phd, and will have opportunities to draw upon training from other relevant Departments and Faculties.

This studentship is funded by the Institute for Sustainable Food, one of the University of Sheffield’s four flagship institutes. At the Institute, you will interact with scholars conducting cutting-edge research into agriculture, food, nutrition and sustainability.

You will work collaboratively with INFUSION and benefit from interactions with a multidisciplinary team and a well-resourced research project.

Funding:

The award provides:

Fully funded 3.5 year studentship covering (Home tuition) fees and a stipend at the basic UKRI rate (£17,669 per annum for 2022). A research and training support grant of up to £3,000 per annum to cover research expenses and conference attendance.

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