Dr Mickie Swisher

Associate Professor Mickie Swisher
Sustainable Agriculture
3031 McCarty Hall D
PO BOX 110310
Gainesville, FL 32611-0310

352-392-2202, Ext. 256
mesw@ufl.edu

Academic Distinctions

Outstanding Educational Project Award, American Distance Education Consortium,2001

Outstanding Professional Skill Award; Distance Education Instructional Design, special award presented by Agricultural Communicators in Education, 1999.

Gold Award, Agricultural communicators in Education, Critique and Awards Program, Distance Education and Instructional Design: Instructional Design, 1999.

State Team Extension Programming Award, Florida Association of Extension Professionals, 1999.

Certificate of Appreciation, United States Department of Agriculture, September, 1998.

Certificate of Appreciation, United States Department of Agriculture, 1998

Certificate of Merit for Superior National Leadership, United States Department of Agriculture, 1998

Profile

Dr. Swisher is the Graduate Coordinator for the Department of Family, Youth & Community Sciences. In addition, she is the Coordinator of study abroad programs for the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Dr. Swisher develops and delivers adult educational programs in community development and sustainable and organic agriculture throughout the state. In addition to her primary appointment in the Department of Family, Youth & Community Sciences, she has graduate faculty appointments with the School of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Department of Geography, the Center for Latin American Studies and the Center for African Studies.

Dr. Swisher’s areas of interest and expertise are in rural development. She has extensive experience in rural development in both the United States and internationally. Her experience includes six years working with farmers and their communities in North Central Florida and 15 years of experience with the Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Her international experience includes service as the Director of the Center for Rural Development at Zamorano University in Honduras, a private, international school that provides undergraduate education in agriculture, natural resource management and rural development. She has also served for several years as a professional for development projects in Haiti, Costa Rica, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Dr. Swisher serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS). This organization is a consortium of over 80 universities and research institutions involved in research and education programs in the area of resource conservation in the tropics. OTS is recognized worldwide as a leader in tropical conservation, research and education. OTS’ educational programs include opportunities in Central and South America and Africa and the organization owns and operates three biological research centers in Costa Rica, including the well known La Selva Biological Research Station.

Selected Publications

Hatch, L. Upton and Swisher, Marilyn E. 1999. Managed Ecosystems, the Mesoamerican Experience. Oxford University Press, New York. 292 pp.

Zimmerman, Robert and Swisher, Marilyn E. 2003. Judicious Use of Insecticides. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. 34 pp.

Swisher, M. E., Sterns, James, and Gove, Jennifer. El Desarrollo de un Mercado del Agricultor. FCS 5257- Span (FY640), August 2003, 12 pages. Extension Digital Information Source (EDIS) publication.

Swisher, M. E. and Sterns, James. An Overview of Small Farm Direct Marketing. FCS 7211 (FY597), June 2003, 5 pages. Extension Digital Information Source (EDIS) publication

Swisher, M. E., Koenig, Rose, and Gove, Jennifer. What is Community Supported Agriculture? FCS 7212-Eng (FY647), September 2003, 8 pages. Extension Digital Information Source (EDIS) publication.

Courses Taught

Scientific Reasoning and Research Design

Advanced Research Methods for the Social Sciences

Sustainable Community Development

Proposal Development for Community-Based Organizations

Extension

Dr. Swisher serves as the University of Florida representative to the United States Department of Agriculture for the Department’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Program. As UF’s representative to USDA, she also provides overall leadership for research, outreach and teaching programs in sustainable agriculture at the University of Florida.

As a part of this responsibility, Swisher serves as the Director of the Center for Organic Agriculture at the University of Florida. The Center has statewide responsibility for research, teaching and outreach programs that address the needs of both organic producers and consumers who purchase organically grown foods.