Howard has been involved with sustainable agricultural and agroforestry systems, plant breeding, molecular biology, and genetics for over 50 years. He has worked with indigenous communities, NGO's, governmental agencies, and the private sector around the world. His academic career has spanned over 45 years, Shapiro is a Senior Fellow at UC Davis, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. A former Fulbright Scholar, Ford Foundation Fellow, in 2007 Howard was made a Distinguished Fellow of the World Agroforestry Centre and authored the IAASTD chapter on Biotechnology and Biodiversity. He served for 20 years as the Chief Agricultural Officer for Mars, Incorporated, with agriculture, agroforestry, food security and food safety projects in Africa, SE Asia, India, China, The Americas.