Shawn McGuire is an Agricultural Officer in FAO in Rome. He leads FAO’s work on seed security, providing technical support to dozens of country offices each year. This includes developing programming recommendations for effective humanitarian responses involving seeds, as well as for longer-term resilience-building activities.

Shawn promotes Seed Security Assessments (SSAs) to determine appropriate responses to support smallholders’ access to seed and has been involved in developing and promoting these tools for nearly 20 years. He also supports seed sector development and policy reform. His background combines plant science and international development.

Previously, Shawn was Senior Lecturer in Natural Resources at the University of East Anglia’s School of Global Development (UK), and has conducted assignments for NGOs, donor agencies, and research institutes. He has field experience in many countries, particularly Ethiopia, where he lived for several years.