Dr Shawn Mcguire
| Job Title | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Lecturer |
S dot Mcguire at uea dot ac dot uk
Tel: +44 (0)1603 59 3375 |
Arts 1.59 |
Biography
I am interested in the interface between local resource managers and formal research institutions, particularly relating to crop breeding and seed supply, and to agricultural biodiversity conservation and utilisation. My research includes studying farmer knowledge and practice in plant genetic resource management, social norms and local institutions which shape resource access, and how policy narratives and institutional history affect reforms in research institutions. This has implications for development interventions such as participatory plant breeding (PPB) and emergency seed relief. These are described in more detail under the research section.
My background combines both natural and social sciences - PhD in Technology and Agrarian Development (Wageningen), MSc in Agriculture and Development (UEA), and BSc in Ecology (Ottawa). This inter-disciplinarity informs both teaching and research . For instance, I consider how social factors influence practices of farmers or scientists, as well as the bio-physical results of these practices. I have worked extensively in Ethiopia, but also Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Uganda.
I am interested in hearing from anyone wishing to pursue new research (including PhD projects) on topics such as:
- crop genetic resource management (including in situ / on farm conservation)
- emergency seed relief
- farmer participation in crop breeding and seed supply
- 'poor-friendly' biotechnology
- experts and expertise in regulating agricultural science
CV and Experience
Key Research Interests
Environment and Development. Technology and agrarian development; biology; ecology; genetic resources management; farming systems ecology; biosafety.
Research Groups: Global Environmental Justice
Research Activities
NetSEED, 2011-2014
Project Funded by the FRB (France), for the Centre of Synthesis and Analysis on Biodiversity
"The vast majority (<90%) of seed planted worldwide comes from 'informal' systems: these include diverse channels, such as farmer-farmer exchange or local markets. These exchanges are governed by ocal norms rather than formal regulations. This also applies to germplasm exchange through networks of scientists. Maintaining diversity in these systems of farmers (or scientists), and ensuring farmers' access to diversity, is thus a key issue linking food security, biodiversity conservation, and justice concerns. People create and shape agricultural biodiversity through a number of ways - selecting seeds, managing crops and their environments, and helping diffuse genetic diversity across space and time. Understanding the issue of diffusion within and among locations has become particularly important, since human activities have fragmented natural habits, altered agricultural environments, and facilitated global-scale connections. This diffusion is also fundamentally a social process - one often reflecting other forms of relationships between actors, identities, or even political expression.
This project examines seed networks across a wide range of crops and country settings, both in North and South. We use meta-analysis, semantic mapping, and social network theory to bridge disciples and case datasets. Network analysis can reveal new relationships between society and biodeiversity, and provides a tool that can help support farmers in maintaining and managing their seed flow networks. We explore how social relationships shape the structure of agriculture biodiversity, and in particular shape access to this diversity. Justice concerns feature in this emphasis on access, but alsio in NetSEED's interest in analysing seed network response to political change, and in an abiding concern with understanding how power and authority are expressed in the management of seed, and of generic resources."
Seed is the essential input for agriculture. The breeding of new crop types, and supply systems to deliver seed, are still the largest single area of agricultural development. Seed relief is a rapidly growing area of emergency assistance. However, farmers' own systems still supply the vast majority of planting material each season, even in disaster situations. My research explores the interface between farmer seed systems and formal institutions.
At the micro level, my research focuses on farmers' practices, which maintain and disseminate crop varieties (both 'local' and 'modern') and support household seed security. This ranges from detailed study of seed exchange, to exploring how social norms and informal institutions influence a household's access to seed. I use such studies to better understand local strategies for coping with stress, as well as opportunities for innovation (e.g. how farmers explore new crop varieties), or for collaboration with formal research. This also provides insights into broader issues such as the management of genetic resources or function of informal markets. This is used to inform policy and practice in development interventions, including participatory plant breeding (PPB), integrated seed supply, or emergency seed relief.
At the macro level, I am interested in the opportunities and challenges for participatory reform in public-sector research institutions. policy narratives, and path-dependency inform my analysis of breeding and seed supply practices, and their effectiveness at involving farmers and other stakeholders in the design and implementation of their work. Most recently, I have been analysing the influence of Ethiopian policy on emergency seed relief, in order to highlight areas for policy reform.
A related research interest is in the possibility of 'poor-friendly' agricultural biotechnology emerging from public-sector research. I am particularly interested in how technologies are shaped by priority-setting processes (e.g. stakeholder participation and 'locked-in' institutional practices), regulatory systems (e.g. biosafety), and by partnerships between public and private institutions (e.g. for sharing intellectual property).
A recent article in the popular science magazine Miller-McCune, entitled 'Making Seed Aid Blossom', gives a good introduction to my work on reforming emergency seed aid.
Another popular article Seed vouchers - not handouts focuses on how strengthening local market channels can help build resilience to climate change.
Publications
CIAT, UEA, CRS and Caritas. 2012. Seed System Security Assessment, nothern Katanga (Kalemie and Nyunzu Territories), Democratic Republic of Congo, September 2012. Catholic Relief Services and International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Kinshasa.
Siedenburg, J., A. Martin, and S. J. McGuire. 2012. The power of "farmer friendly" financial incentives to deliver climate smart agricultre: a critical data gap. Journal of Integrative Environmental Sciences 9: 201-217.
Sperling, L., McGuire, S.J. 2012. Fatal gaps in seed security strategy. Food Security 4 (4).
Link to article
McGuire, S. J. 2012. Developing future experts in Agriculture for Development - some thoughts on the challenges of capacity-development to address inter-disciplinary problems. Journal of International Cooperation for Agricultural Development 12: 3-7
Gross-Camp, N., A. Martin, S. J. McGuire, B. Kebede, and J. Munyarukaza. (2012). Payments for ecosystem services in an African protected area: exploring issues of legitimacy, fairness, equity and effectiveness. Oryx 46:24-33.
McGuire, S. J. and L. Sperling. (2012). The links between food security and seed security: facts and fiction that guide response. in M. J. Cohen and M. Smale, editors. Global Food-Price Shocks and Poor People: Themes and Case Studies. Routledge, Oxford.
Pautasso, M., G. Aistara, A. Barnaud, S. Caillon, P. Clouvel, O. T. Coomes, M. Delêtre, E. Demeulenaere, P. D. Santis, T. Döring, L. Eloy, L. Emperaire, E. Garine, I. Goldringer, D. Jarvis, H. I. Joly, C. Leclerc, S. Louafi, P. Martin, F. Massol, S. McGuire, D. McKey, C. Padoch, C. Soler, M. Thomas, and S. Tramontini. (2012). Seed exchange networks for agrobiodiversity conservation. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development.
Link to document
McGuire, S.J. and Sperling, L. (2011) The links between food security and seed security: facts and fiction that guide response. Development and Practice 21 (4-5) pp. 493-508
Link to document
CIAT, CRS, SNS-MARDNR, UEA, FAO, World Concern, Save the Children, ACDI/VOCA, Save the Children and World Vision (2010) Seed System Security Assessment, Haiti. A study funded by the United States Agency for International Development, Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance. (USAID/ODFA) August 2010. Tanzania: International Center for Tropical Agriculture.
Link to full report Link to report annexes
Sperling, L., and McGuire, S.J. (2010) Persistent myths about emergency seed aid. Food Policy 35 (3) pp. 195-201 (doi: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2009.12.004)
Link to document
Sperling, L., and McGuire, S.J. (2010) Understanding and strengthening informal seed markets. Experimental Agriculture 46 (2) pp. 119–136 (doi:10.1017/S0014479709991074)
Link to document
Sperling, L. and McGuire, S.J. (2009) Persistent Myths About Emergency Seed Aid: redressing the absence of governance. Paper presented at World Conference of Humanitarian Studies, 4-7 February 2009, Groningen, the Netherlands
McGuire, S.J., and Sperling, L. (2008) Leveraging farmers' strategies for coping with stress: seed aid in Ethiopia. Global Environmental Change 18 (4) pp. 679-688
Link to document
McGuire, S.J. (2008) Securing access to seed: Social relations and sorghum seed exchange in eastern Ethiopia. Human Ecology 36 (2) pp. 217-229
Link to document
McGuire, S.J. (2008) Path-dependency in plant breeding: challenges facing participatory reforms in the Ethiopian Sorghum Improvement Program. Agricultural Systems 96 (1-3) pp. 139-149
Link to document
McGuire, S.J. (2007) Vulnerability in farmer seed systems: Farmer practices for coping with seed insecurity in eastern Ethiopia. Economic Botany 61 (3) pp. 211-222
Link to document
Sperling, L.J., Aberra Deressa, Solomon Assefa, Teshale Assefa, S.J. McGUIRE, et al. (2007) Long-term seed aid in Ethiopia: Past, present and future perspectives. Final Project Report. Ottawa and Washington: IDRC and USAID (141 pages)
McGuire, S.J. (2005) Getting Genes: Rethinking seed system analysis and reforms for sorghum in Ethiopia. PhD thesis, Technology and Agrarian Development, Wageningen University. Wageningen, the Netherlands (275 pages)
McGuire, S., G. Manicad and L. Sperling (2003) Technical and institutional issues in participatory plant breeding, done from the perspective of farmer plant breeding: a global analysis of issues and of current experience. PPB Monograph No 2. CGIAR Systemwide Programme for Participatory Research and Gender Analysis 124. ISBN: 958-694-052-7
Link to document
McGuire, S. (2002) Farmers' management of sorghum genetic resources in Ethiopia: a basis for participatory plant breeding? in D. Cleveland and D. Soleri (Eds.) Farmers, Scientists, and Plant Breeding: Integrating knowledge and practice, Wallingford: CABI, pp107-136
Link to document
McGuire, S. (2001) 'Analysing farmers' seed systems: some conceptual components' in L. Sperling (ed.) Targeted Seed Aid and Seed System Interventions: Supporting farmers' seed systems in East and Central Africa, Proceedings of a workshop, Kampala, Uganda, 21–24 June 2000
McGuire, S. (2001) 'PPB in context: new questions for practice' presented at PRGA African Regional Seminar on Participatory Plant Breeding and Genetic Resource Conservation, M'Be, Côte D'Ivoire
Sperling, L., J.A. Ashby, M.E.Smith, E. Weltzien and S. McGuire (2001) A framework for analysing participatory plant breeding approaches and results. Euphytica 122 (3) pp. 439-450
L. Sperling, J. Ashby, E. Weltzien, M.E. Smith and S. McGuire. 2001 'Base-broadening for client-oriented impact: insights drawn from participatory plant breeding experience' in D. Cooper, C. Spillane, and T. Hodgkin (Eds.) Broadening the Genetic Base of Crop Production, Wallingford: CABI, pp419-435
Manicad, G. and S. McGuire (2000) Supporting farmer-led plant breeding. Biotechnology and Development Monitor 42 pp. 2-7
McGuire, S., 2000. 'Farmer management of sorghum diversity in Eastern Ethiopia' in C. Almekinders and W. de Boef (Eds.) Encouraging Diversity: The Conservation and development of plant genetic resources, London: IT, pp43-48
Link to document
McGuire, S., (1997) Farmers' seed production: new approaches and practices - Review. Biotechnology and Development Monitor 43: 23
Link to document
McGuire, S., 'Impact of farmer-led PPB: evidence so far' in N. Lilja, J.A. Ashby and L. Sperling (eds) Assessing the Impact of Participatory Research and Gender Analysis, Quito, September 1998, CGIAR Program on Participatory Research and Gender Analysis, Cali, Colombia, 77-88
McGuire, S., 'Polluting the fields: Farmers' perspectives on gene-flow', presented at Society for Applied Anthropology, Tucson, Arizona (May)
Gregorich, E., P. Rochette, S. McGuire, B.C. Liang and R. Lessard, 'Soluble organic carbon and carbon dioxide fluxes in maize fields receiving spring-applied manure. Journal of Environmental Quality 27 (1): 209-214
McGuire, S., 'Crop genetic resources, social movements, and international conflict' presented at Workshop on 'Resource Conflicts and the Anthropology of Law', University College London
McGuire, S., (1997) The effects of privatization on winter-wheat breeding in the UK. Biotechnology and Development Monitor 33 pp. 8-11
Richards, P., Ruivenkamp, G., with van der Drift, R., Gonowolo, M., Jusu, M.S., Longley, C., and McGuire, S.J. (1997) Seed and Survival: Crop genetic resources in war and reconstruction in Africa. Rome: International Plant Genetic Resources Institute
McGuire, S.J., and Currie, D.J. (1993) Factors related to mixing depth in meromictic lakes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 50 (6) pp. 1338-1342
Teaching Interests
Introduction to Natural Resources and Development: Principles and Concepts (DEV-1B24, NR1)
Critical Analysis of Environment and Development (DEV-2D64, NR3)
Political Ecology of Environment and Development (DEV-M090, PEED)
Through the term, details of seminars and coursework, lecture outlines, new readings, etc., are added to the site, so do check regularly for updates!
I am currently supervising the following research students:
- Kevin Crooks; 'Social networks and the spread of agricultural innovations in Jamaica'
- Dyton Maliro; ‘Vulnerability, Social Protection and Small-holders in Malawi’
- Ben Taylor; 'Floriculture in Ethiopia: analysing a Global Production Network'
