Education
- Ph.D. – Geography, University of Florida, 1982
- M.S. – Geography, Wayne State University, 1977
- B.A. – Geography, Eastern Illinois University, 1972
Biography
Dr. Mickie Swisher is the Director of the Center for Sustainable & Organic Food Systems.
Her work focuses on improving the sustainability of food systems—addressing environmental and economic
challenges while supporting both producers and consumers. Much of her research is interdisciplinary,
collaborating with biological scientists.
She currently serves as Co-PI for eight extramurally funded agricultural projects and two international
initiatives centered on rural development and food systems. Her contributions emphasize developing
innovative methods that integrate producer and consumer knowledge with biological research, enhancing
both experimental progress and practical outcomes. As one of the few social scientists in these
collaborations, Dr. Swisher plays a pivotal role in bridging research with real-world agricultural practice.
In Florida, she is the state co-coordinator of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program
with Dr. Cassell Gardner of Florida A&M University. She partners with farmers, nonprofit organizations,
community groups, and colleagues across multiple universities.
Her international experience includes extended work in Costa Rica, Haiti, Honduras, the Democratic Republic
of the Congo, Uganda, and Cameroon. She has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the
Organization for Tropical Studies, Coordinator of the Center for Rural Development at Zamorano University
in Honduras, Co-PI for a USAID-funded project in Haiti, and PI for a faculty exchange program with the
Universidade Federal de Santa Maria in Brazil.
Research Interests
Dr. Swisher’s research examines how individuals and communities make complex, strategic decisions under
conditions of risk and uncertainty, often with incomplete or overwhelming information. She and her students
explore these issues in contexts such as:
- Resource conservation decisions in the Brazilian Amazon
- Farm family decision-making in balancing long-term and daily goals
- Social networks in Haiti influencing adoption of new technologies
As a methodologist, she contributes to research design and social science data collection in multidisciplinary
teams across the U.S., Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Core Research Themes
- Life course outcomes
- Risk and uncertainty
- Social networks
- Strategic decision-making
- Research design
- Research methods