Heather Mackay

I am a geographer working at the intersection of agriculture, food systems, and sustainable urban life in the Global South. I also work with gendered perspectives.

Background

I completed a bachelors in Geography at Aberdeen University, Scotland and hold a Masters degree in Rural Resources and Environmental Management from Imperial College London; and a Masters in Spatial Planning and Development from Umeå University, Sweden.

I have worked 10 years in international development for NGOs and private consulting companies in the UK, USA and Ghana before returning to academia.

My doctoral research, completed in 2019, investigated in what ways transitions at the nexus of urbanisation, food environments, and lifestyles were occurring in secondary cities of Uganda.

In addition, I have worked on smallholder African agriculture, urban agriculture and urban food systems, as well as in the topic of migration.

I work across a mix of methods including spatial (remote sensing, GIS), qualitative (particularly interviewing and focus group discussions), and quantitative (mainly in-field household surveys).

Area of interest

Urban development
Smallholder agriculture
Food systems
Gender sensitivity
Sustainability
Resilience to climate change

Research

Agriculture for Food Security 2030 (AgriFoSe2030)
Gender Sensitivity within Agricultural Extension Training in Tanzania
Mobile Men's Health in Uganda and Zambia

Teaching and tutoring

Geography for future school teachers
Global climatic and environmental change
Mobility, accessibility and sustainability
Planning systems

Other information

Publications

Heather Mackay, Magnus Strömgren, Paul Isolo Mukwaya, Frank Mugagga, Herbert Hambati, et al.  (2025) Analysing inclusivity within small town development in Uganda and Tanzania : an inclusivity index and experiential insights. International Development Planning Review, 47 p.309-350 https://www.liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/full/10.3828/idpr.2025.5  

Nyberg, Y., Mackay, H., Wilson, M., Samkunde, M., & Wetterlind, J. (2025). Supporting access and implementation of agricultural extension services for female smallholder farmers – a systematic review. International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, 23(1). https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14735903.2025.2505387 

Andersson, A., Mackay, H., & Qambalo, H. H. (2025). Translocality and Inclusive Urbanisation in Small Towns in Tanzania. The European Journal of Development Research, 1-27. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41287-025-00719-3  

Vargas Falla, A. M., Mackay, H., Andersson, A., Mukwaya, P. I., & Mugagga, F. (2025). Decentralisation and Legal Pluralism in Small Towns in Uganda. Public Administration and Development. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pad.2110  

Mugagga, F., Mukwaya, P.I., Kasaija, P., Nagawa, P.K., Nakanjako, R. Emenyu, A., Kiiza, A., Muyama, E., Wepukhulu, J., Kemigisha, M., Mackay, H. and Jirstrom, M. (2025) Using a Theory of Change approach for inclusive and resilient urban food systems in Uganda.  Systemic Practice and Action Research. 38(3) https://rdcu.be/efZqt  

Andersson, A., Mackay, H., & Mukwaya, P. I. (2024). Translocal Livelihoods, Socio‐Economic Differentiation and Lower Level Urbanisation in Uganda. Journal International Development: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jid.3970   

Mackay, H. (April 2020) Of fatness, fitness and finesse. Experiences and interpretations of non-communicable diseases in urban Uganda. Cities & Health. Special Issue: African Urban Health: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23748834.2020.1739189   

Mackay, H. (June 2020) Will there be lunch? Wry reflections on research-feedback challenges in Uganda, from a newly-minted academic, Cities & Health: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23748834.2020.1765299   

Mackay, H. (2019) Food Sources and Access Strategies in Ugandan Secondary Cities: An Intersectional Analysis. Environment and Urbanization, Vol. 31 (2), 375-396 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0956247819847346   

Mackay, H. (2019) A feminist geographic analysis of perceptions of food and health in Ugandan cities. Gender, Place & Culture, Vol. 26 (11),  pp1519-1543. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0966369X.2018.1555148   

Mackay, H. (2018) Mapping and characterising the urban agricultural landscape of two intermediate-sized Ghanaian cities. Land Use Policy, 70, 182-197. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264837717307287   

Pritchard, Bill, Heather Mackay, and Christopher Turner (eds). (2017) Special issue introduction: geographical perspectives on food and nutrition insecurity in the global South. Geographical Research 55 (2): 127-130.