Shaping the Future of Agri-food and Rural DEVELOPMENT
Guelph, Ontario, Canada 29-31 October, 2025
October 29 / Wed
9:00–10:30
Opening / Keynote
10:30–11:00
Break
11:00–12:30
Parallel Session I
12:30–13:45
Lunch / Poster / Innovation expo
13:45–15:15
Plenary I / Invited Presentation
15:15–15:40
Break
15:45–17:30
Parallel Sessions II
18:00–20:30
Welcome Reception / Dinner
October 30 / Thurs
9:00–10:30
Parallel Session III
10:30–11:00
Break
11:00–12:30
Parallel Session IV
12:30–13:45
Lunch / Poster / Innovation Expo
13:45–15:30
Plenary II / Invited Session
15:30–15:55
Break
16:00–17:30
Parallel Sessions V
18:00–20:30
Business Meeting Dinner / What’s Next for CAREE
October 31 / Friday
9:00–10:30
Parallel Session VI
10:30–11:00
Break
11:00–12:30
Plenary III / Closing Session
14:00–16:00
Post Conference Networking (Optional/ Need Registration)
November 1 / Sat
We are considering an optional Field Trip on Nov 1/ Saturday. We will organize the trip if there is interest for more than 15 and a maximum of 40 participants. A separate registration is required. We will send registration emails later in September.
The abstract and poster schedule is a work-in-progress draft. Sessions highlighted in yellow are currently on a waitlist. After September 15, any session without at least one registered author will be removed. As a result, we may need to reorganize the sessions. Due to the number of presentations and thematic groups, we are unable to accommodate individual preferences for the schedule. Thank you for your understanding. We will post the final interactive program by October 10. A draft schedule for professional development will be shared soon.
We are excited to welcome participants from 20 countries and eight Canadian provinces.
We are working on the detailed session schedule and will post a draft here around mid-September as our registration is being settled.
11:00–12:30
Parallel Session I
Parallel (Abstract) Session I
Wednesday, October 29
11:00 – 12:30 p.m
Abstract Session I-A | PCH SOUTH
AI in Agricultural Extension and Advisory
• Navigating Copyright Challenges in Generative AI for Climate-Smart Agricultural
Extension and Advisory Services
Md Mahatab Uddin
• Extension Focused Artificial Intelligence to Aid Ohio Soybean Producers
Lee Beers *; John Fulton; Rob Leeds; Mike Estadt; Chris Zoller
• Assessing AI Adoption in Ontario’s Livestock and Horticulture Sectors: Challenges
and Opportunities for Responsible Innovation
Ataharul Chowdhury; Uduak Edet*
• Evaluating the Effectiveness of Large Language Models for Livestock and Climate
Related Agricultural Advices in Ontario
Ramtin Shafaghati *; Ataharul chowdhury
Abstract Session I-B | PCH NORTH
Digital Communication Platforms and Tools
• Diversifying Digital Communication in Extension Services: Circumventing Social
Media Lock-in Effects
Gordon Gow
• AI, Audio, and Agriculture: Cross-Border Podcasting as a Tool for Digital Pedagogy
and Sustainability Communication
Madison Dyment*
• Perception of Extension Professionals Regarding the Use of Digital Extension Services
in Bangladesh
Saifur Rahman
• Empowering Communities Through Digital Tools in the Philippines: From Laboratory
to the Farm
Maria Victoria Espaldon*; Decibel Eslava; Moises Dorado; Loucel Cui; Leo Neil
Viado; Bong Salazar; Regina Regalado; Rosemarie Laila Dimasuay; Gideon Aries
Burgonio; Eduardo Calzeta
Abstract Session I-C | UC 430
ICT Adoption and Precision Technologies
• Towards Implementing Precision Conservation Practices in Agricultural Watersheds: A
Review of the Use and Prospects of Spatial Decision Support Systems and Tools
Md Bodruddoza
• Assessing the Perceptions of Precision Laser Weeding: A Pilot Study on Measurement
Reliability
Chin-Ling Lee
• Adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) by Farmers to
Promote Sustainable Agriculture in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh
Mohammad Anamul Haque*; Rafiqul Islam; Shyamal Chandra Sarker; Ahmmed Al
Name; Md. Osman Gazi
• Improving Livelihood in Vavuniya District, Sri Lanka: A Case Study of Dairy Farmers’
Actual Use Towards Accessing Digital Extension Services
Kamshajini Raveenthiran*; Helen Hambly Odame
Abstract Session I-D | UC 441
Decision Support Systems and Data-Driven Innovation
• Bridging the data-action gap: potential opportunities and risks for generative AI
language models in communicating data insights to poultry farms
Laura Palczynski
• The WELL-E Approach to Data-Driven Inclusive Innovation: Working with and for the
Canadian Dairy Industry
Elsa Vasseur
• Mapping Technology Use in the Canadian Agriculture Extension Ecosystem
Carlene Schneider
Abstract Session I-E | PCH CENTRE
Misinformation in Agricultural ContextsMisinformation in Agricultural Contexts
• Understanding the Misinformation Paradox: How Do False Agricultural Narratives
Shape Farmer Decisions in Ghana’s Planting for Food and Jobs Policy?
Edward Asafo-Agyei*; Ataharul Chowdhury
• Understanding Gendered Dimensions to Agricultural Misinformation on Climate
Change Adaptation in Nigeria
Uduak Edet*; Khondokar Kabir; Nasir Khan
• Dual Challenge of Climate Change and Misinformation: How Misinformation Shapes
Vulnerability and Adaptation in Rural Communities in Pakistan
Nasir Khan
• The Influences of Misinformation on the Participation of Rural Young People with
Disabilities in Agriculture in Bangladesh
Sultana Yeasmin
• Addressing Information Disorder on Climate-Smart Agriculture: Rethinking Advisory
and Extension Services for Sustainable Rural Development in Nigeria.[ONLINE]
Kehinde Oladeji
Abstract Session I-F | LA PIT
Communication, Trust, and Networks
• Toxicity and Misinformation: Drivers of Social Media Discontinuation and
Implications for Facilitating Agricultural Innovation in Ontario
Khondokar Kabir*; Ataharul Chowdhury; Tyler Zemlak
• Public Trust as Infrastructure: Reframing the Role of Institutions in Canada’s Food and
Rural Systems
Lisa Bishop-Spencer*; Ashley Bruner
• IFAD and Farm Radio International’s Participatory Dialogues in Sub-Saharan Africa
Eleanor Barlow*; Rachel DeHaan; Carmina Marquez
• Use of Network for Diffusion and Adoption of Climate Smart Agricultural
Technologies [ONLINE]
Md Rezaul Karim
9:00–10:30
Parallel Session III
Parallel (Abstract) Session III
Thursday, October 30
9:00 – 10:30 a.m
Abstract Session IV-A | PCH SOUTH
Indigenous Knowledge and Food Systems
• The Community Citizen Scientist: The Garden Stewards in First Nation in Northern
Ontario, Case Study)
Paul Benalcazar
• Braided and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Indigenous Food Systems for Food
Security and Sovereignty
Paul Benalcazar
• Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in the Peruvian Andes: Turno Cultivation in
the Campesino Communities of Huancachi and Quilcas
Charlotte Potter
• Indigenous Wild Rice Systems and One Health: A Scoping Literature Review
Muireann Heuchan*; Margarita Fontecha; Natalia Berti; Silvia Sarapura Escobar
Abstract Session IV-B | PCH NORTH
Social Inclusion and Marginalized Groups
• Cultivating Inclusion: Empowering Farmers with Disabilities for a Thriving Future
Jeanelle Joseph*; Tessa Barry
• 2SLGBTQ+ Discrimination and Community Integration in Perth and Huron Counties
Daniel Layden*; Leith Deacon
• Inclusive Extension-based Strategies to Support Historically Marginalized Black,
Indigenous & People of Color (BIPOC) in 21st Century’s American Agri-food System:
Samrat Sikdar*; Kirk Swortzel
• Trust is the technology: Applying Actor-Network Theory to knowledge exchange in
Ontario agriculture
Melisa Luymes*
Abstract Session IV-C | LA PIT
Extension for Climate Adaptation
• Assessing the Knowledge of Extension Agents in Facilitating Climate Adaptation
Strategies among Farmers in Ekiti State, Nigeria [ONLINE]
Oluwaseun Bamigboye*; Imisi Omokunga
• Learning Needs of Agriculture Extension Agents Regarding Agro-Ecology in Punjab,
Pakistan
Muhammad Ali
• Assessing Farmer’s Preparedness to Cope with the Effects of Multiple Climate Change
Related Hazards in Ghana
Enoch Kwame Tham-Agyekum*; Richard Obed Dankyi; Ebenezer Osei Jones;
Camillus Abawiera Wongnaa
Abstract Session IV-D | PCH CENTRE
Climate Resilience and Transformation
• When the Trojan Horse Enters the Castle of Resilience: Rethinking Agricultural
Extension to Avoid Risk of Maladaptation to Climate Change
Davoud Rouzaneh*; Moslem Savari; Sadegh Rahmani [Online]
• Cultivating Collaboration: Building effective partnerships for farm climate change
resiliency and stewardship success
Fallon Hayes*; Jessie Spasov; Melanie Williams
• Building On-Farm Resilience and Lowering Emissions Across Canada
Rosalie Gillis-Madden*; Andrew Rushmere; Crystal Arsenault; Brenda Hsueh
• Exploring Prince Edward Island Beef Farmer Perceptions of Participation in Climate
Change Mitigation
Maggie McCormick; Ataharul Chowdhury; Nasir Khan*
Abstract Session IV-E | UC 441
Agroecology and BMP Adoption
• Farmer-led research to support the adoption of agro-ecological practices in Ontario
Sarah Larsen *; Erin Nelson
• Not all BMPs are created equal: No Regret, Neutral, Sacrifice and Dead End BMPs
David Rourke
• Uncovering Successes and Gaps: Exploring the Landscape of Learning and Knowledge
Transfer in Grassland Management
Brooke McWherter*; Amber Dyck; Emma Brooks
• Understanding how Canadian producers use information sources to inform their
adoption of beneficial management practices
Matt Blackshaw*; Kieran Findlater; Sandra Znajda
Abstract Session IV-F | UC 430
Soil Health and Networks
• The Role of Not-for-Profit Organizations in Extension Delivery: The Case of the
Ontario Soil Network
Paige Allen*; Lorraine Vandermyden; Baran Karsak; Erin Nelson
• The Social Side of Soils: a Farmer Centered Analysis on the Adoption of Cover Crops
Paige Allen
• Bringing Soil Health Assessment to Farmers in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe
Ryan Carlow*; Paul Smith; Adam Hayes; Jenny Bower; Jake Munroe
• The Power of Proximity: How Soil-Health Learning Networks Influence (or not)
Ontario Agriculture
Heather White
16:00–17:30
Parallel Session V
Parallel (Abstract) Session V
Thursday, October 30
16:00 – 17:30
Abstract Session V-A | PCH SOUTH
Living Labs and Innovation Systems
• Agroecosystem Living Labs: Participant Experiences and Innovation Dynamics in
Canada
Madeleine Arseneau*; Ann Levesque; Margaret Bancerz; Chris McPhee; Albana
Berberi; Caroline Thivierge
• Understanding Collaboration Among Stakeholders in the Newfoundland and Labrador
Living Lab Project as a Transdisciplinary Approach
Bethel Chukwukere*; Emily Doyle; Kelly Vodden
• Advancing Dairy Extension: A Digital Living Laboratory Approach to Knowledge
Mobilization in the Canadian Dairy Sector
Steven Roche
• Building knowledge and innovation systems in Ukraine: critical reflections from
practice
Sarah Cardey
Abstract Session V-B | LA PIT
Food Security and Systems
• Impact of Climate Resilient Agricultural Practices on Food Security for Small- Scale
Farmers in High Barind Tract of Bangladesh
Mohammad Anamul Haque*; Md. Golam Azam; Md. Masud; Doel Rose Mary Kha;
Kakan Barua
• Food Security Status of Landless Farmers in the Char Areas of Northern Bangladesh
Md. Aminur Rahman; Mohammad Anamul Haque*; Md Abdul Mannan
Abstract Session V-C | PCH NORTH
Extension Models and Policies
• Global Perspectives on Public-Private Collaborations in Agricultural Extension
Lauren Benoit
• Stakeholder Perceptions of Pluralistic Extension and Advisory System in Ontario
Khondokar Kabir*; Ataharul Chowdhury
• Agricultural Extension Systems in a Crossroad: Structural Differences, Implications,
and Future Pathways in Canada and the United States
Khondokar Kabir*; Ataharul Chowdhury
• The Quebec Model of Agricultural Extension: A Publicly Led and Regionally Driven
Approach through the Programme services-conseils
Helen Jensen*; Marie-Claude Lapierre
Abstract Session V-D | PCH CENTRE
Approaches, Theories, and Evaluation
• Integrating Community-Engaged Learning (CEL) into Extension Program
Development: Bridging Theory with Practice
Nesma Osman
• Rourke’s General Farm Practice Change Theory: A Pull Approach
David Rourke
• Participatory Action Research as a KTT Tool: Early Reflections
Derya Tarhan
• Developing an Evaluation Framework to Assess the Effectiveness of Extension
Programs
Abstract Session V-E | UC 430
Institutions, Advisors, and Assessment
• The Role of Professional Advisors in Slowing or Preventing Development of Future
Farmers in Canada: What if We’re Part of the Problem?
Patti Durand
• Assessment of agri-environmental extension services in Canada for Agriculture and
Agrifood Canada
Kristelle Audet
• Facilitating Change on the Agricultural Landscape through a Communities of Practice
Extension Model
Dorthea Gregoire
Abstract Session V-F | UC 441
Education, Learning, and Youth Engagement
• Innovative Pathways to Biotechnology Careers: Youth Engagement Through 4-H Clubs
and Interactive Games [ONLINE]
Stacey Stearns*; Jennifer Cushman; Sharon Gray; Xiuchun “Cindy” Tian; Cristina
Connolly
• Encouraging Knowledge Diffusion through the Peer Group Learning Model
Natasha Wilkie*; Adriane Good; Alexis DeCorby; Kathy Larson; Fonda Froats
• Doing it Better! Practitioner Insights to Enhance KTT for Private Water Wells
Negin Molaei; Sheri Longboat*; Hugh Simpson*
9:00–10:30
Parallel VI
Parallel (Abstract) VI
Friday, October 31
09:00-10:30 a.m
Abstract Session VI-A | PCH SOUTH
Entrepreneurship and Barriers in Agri-Development
• Exploring rural youth aspirations and life-courses in Colombia
Margarit Fontecha*; Silvia Sarapura-Escobar
• Unravelling Farmer Preferences for Contract Design Attributes in Ghana’s Agricultural
Sector: A Discrete Choice Experiment Approach
Dominic Boateng-Gyambiby*; Sabine Liebenehm; Emmanuel Alirah Weyori
• The institutionalization of farmer Field Schools in Latin America
Silvia Sarapura – Escobar
• Participatory Systems Mapping. Drivers and Barriers identification in adopting BMP
for potato producers in Southern Ontario using Gephi Visual
Paul Benalcazar
Abstract Session VI-B | PCH NORTH
Rural Development and Innovation
• Participatory evaluation of ecosystem transformation: lessons for rural advisory and
extension services
Elin Gwyn*; Ricardo Ramirez
• Impact of the Implementation of Best Practices from the Local Agricultural Innovation
Project (PIAL) in Pinar del Río, Cuba
Yuliany Pacheco
• Adding more plant-forward dishes to menus: Findings from a survey of post-secondary
campus food services across Canada
Sunghwan Yi*
• Exploring the Possibilities of Extension to Advance Research Use: Lessons from
Virginia, USA [ONLINE]
Lia Kelinsky-Jones*; Christina Galardi; Sarah Baughman
Abstract Session VI-C | UC 430
Animal Welfare, Livestock, and Sustainability
• Goat and Sheep Farmers’ Stress During the COVID-19
Dr. Suzanna Windon*; Carolyn Henzi
• What is the impact of economic institutions in the New Zealand pastoral farming
sector?
Angela McFetridge*; Hamish Gow; Robyn Dynes
• Measure it and they will come: Using rising plate meters to improve grazing
management in Ontario pastures
Caroline Reisiger*; Christine O’Reilly; Kim Schneider
Abstract Session VI-D | UC 441
Sustainable Development and Ecosystems
• Climate Justice as a Pathway to Sustainable Development: A Content Analysis Review
Vahid Karimi
• Ecosystem Modeling of Kaptai Lake, Rangamati: A Mass-Balance Approach Using the
Ecopath Model [ONLINE]
Keya Chakma*; Mohammed Shahidul Alam
• Study of Adaption Methods Climate Change through Localization of Resilience among
Farmers (Case Study: Village of Markazi Province) [ONLINE]
Maryam Moghaddasi*; Arefeh Abbasifard