Phil Howard's homepage

Home Information Graphics Outreach CV Teaching Book/Film Database

Philip H. Howard, PhD

Assistant Professor
Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies
Michigan State University

Phil Howard's research focuses on investigating the relationships between food, agriculture and public health, as well as assisting communities to characterize and respond to changes in the food system. Phil is currently exploring 'food environments' and their potential relationships with health outcomes. He is also studying national consumer interest in 'ecolabels' as a potential strategy for improving the livelihoods of small- and medium-scale farms, and consolidation in the food system, particularly in the rapidly growing organic sector.

Phil earned a PhD in Rural Sociology from the University of Missouri in 2002, and conducted postdoctoral research at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California, Santa Cruz until 2006. He is also a co-founder of the Santa Cruz County Food System Network, and the Missouri Action Research Connection – a center for community-based research at the University of Missouri.

Recent Articles

Howard, Philip H. and Patricia Allen. Consumer willingness to pay for domestic 'fair trade:' evidence from the United States. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems (in press).

Howard, Philip H. and Brian Fulfrost. The density of retail food outlets in the Central Coast region of California: Associations with income and Latino ethnic composition. Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition (in press).

DeLind, Laura B. and Philip H. Howard. 2008. Safe at any Scale? Food Scares, Food Regulation and Scaled Alternatives. Agriculture and Human Values. DOI 10.1007/s10460-007-9112-y

Perez, Jan and Phil Howard. 2007. Consumer Interest in Food System Topics: Implications for Educators. Journal of Extension, 45(4).

Howard, Philip H. and Patricia Allen. 2006. Beyond Organic: Consumer Interest in New Labelling Schemes in the Central Coast of California. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 30(5), 439-451.

Howard, Philip H. 2006. Central Coast Consumers Want More Food-Related Information, From Safety to Ethics. California Agriculture, 60(1), 14-19.

Howard, Phil, Tim Galarneau, Jan Perez and Dave Shaw. 2005. Integrating Open Space Technology and Dynamic Facilitation. Participatory Learning and Action, 53(1), 68-73.

Hendrickson, Mary, William D. Heffernan, Philip H. Howard, and Judith B. Heffernan. 2001. Consolidation in Food Retailing and Dairy. British Food Journal, 103(10), 715-728.

Recent Research Reports

Grady, Sue C., Philip H. Howard & Sarah Nicholls. 2007. Investigating the Impact of Neighborhood Environments on the Risk of Hypertension. Family Research Initiative, Michigan State University.

Fulfrost, Brian and Phil Howard. 2006. Mapping the Markets: The Relative Density of Retail Food Stores in Densely Populated Census Blocks in the Central Coast Region of California. Report to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz and San Benito Counties, and the Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association. Center For Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Howard, Phil. 2005. Central Coast Consumers’ Interest in Food Systems Issues: Demographic and Behavioral Associations. Center For Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, University of California, Santa Cruz, Research Brief #7, Fall.

Howard, Phil. 2005. What Do People Want to Know about their Food? Measuring Central Coast Consumers' Interest in Food System Issues. Center For Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, University of California, Santa Cruz, Research Brief #5, Winter.

Hendrickson, Mary, William D. Heffernan, Philip H. Howard, and Judith B. Heffernan. 2001. Consolidation in Food Retailing and Dairy: Implications for Farmers and Consumers in a Global Food System. Report to the National Farmers Union. Department of Rural Sociology, University of Missouri - Columbia.

Background

Ph.D. Rural Sociology, University of Missouri
M.E.S. Master of Environmental Studies, The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA.
B.A. Anthropology, minor in Biological Sciences, University of Missouri

Contact information

316 Natural Resources
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824

phone: (517) 355-8431