Megan Mucioki PhD

Broadly, I conduct interdisciplinary research on social-ecological food security, sovereignty, and systems specializing in cultivated and wild food plants, social-ecological systems, and environmental change in the United States, Canada, and Africa. My applied research focuses on the contribution of traditional foods to food security, sovereignty, and holistic wellbeing. I also consider sustained use and stewardship of wild foods and fiber plants in the context of environmental and social change. My research engages with environmental justice issues related to equitable access to cultural food plants and equitable application of associated land management by vulnerable populations and related food, seed, and land management policies that influence access. The outcomes of my research form recommendations that contribute to community driven food and seed policies inclusive of the unique practices and realities of Indigenous and rural peoples in order to support improved access to culturally appropriate foods and seeds and minimize food and nutrition insecurity.  I have extensive field experience living and working in remote, vulnerable communities in California, Oregon, Alaska, British Columbia, and Kenya.

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While my Ph.D. is in the discipline of plant science, my studies and research are in the nexus of social and natural sciences. I am an expert in mixed-methods research, utilizing quantitative (e.g. household surveys analyzed with logistical regression models) and qualitative methods (e.g. key informant interviews using content analysis) in the social sciences as well as methods in ecology, forestry, and plant science (e.g. voucher specimen collection, ecological assessments, agricultural plots). My research plan is guided by community based participatory research (CBPR) methods which engage Indigenous and rural communities in each step of the research process, from design to reporting, in order to conduct research that is meaningful and useful to the communities it is meant to serve and maintain an equitable balance of power among project collaborators. 

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I integrate extension education programs into my research in order to contribute to skill building, food system development, and the food security of the people and community. I have a range of academic, community focused, policy, extension, and news publications. It is important to me to engage with a diverse range of stakeholders and also receive mentorship from the same.