Program

1st International Conference on Canadian Agri-food & Rural Advisory, Extension, and Education (CAREE)
Shaping the Future of Agri-food and Rural DEVELOPMENT 

Guelph, Ontario, Canada 29-31 October, 2025

Day 1

October 29 / Wed

8:00–9:00

Breakfast

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 Session II

18:00–20:30

Welcome Reception / Dinner

Day 2

October 30 / Thurs

8:00–8:45

Breakfast

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 Session V

18:00–20:30

Business Meeting Dinner / What’s Next for CAREE

Day 3

October 31 / Friday

8:00–8:45

Breakfast

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)

CAREE 2025 Instruction for Presenters

08:00–08:45

Location : PCH

9:00–10:30

Location : PCH CENTRE 

GREETINGS & OPENING
Dr. Shayan Sharif, Interim Vice-President (Research & Innovation), University of Guelph
Dr. Ben Bradshaw, AVP Graduate Studies and International, University of Guelph
Dr. Christine Baes, Acting Associate Dean, External Relations, OAC, University of Guelph

KEYNOTE
The Honourable Robert Black, P. Ag. (Hon), Senator for Ontario
Professor Cees Leeuwis, Wageningen University

10:30–11:00

Location : PCH

11:00–12:30

Parallel (Abstract) Session I
Wednesday, October 29

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

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

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
Sana Ullah*, Chin-Ling*, Ginger Orton, and Md Sultan Mahmud
• 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

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

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

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

12:30–13:45

Location : PCH CENTRE

  1. Transformative Water Resources Governance in Wetland Ecosystems: A Systematic
    Review
    Vahid Karimi*, Esmail Karamidehkordi, Homayon Farhadian, Masoud Bijan
  2. Youth Typologies and Career Choices in Agricultural Value Chains: A Study of
    University of Ghana-Leventis Farmers’ Training Program’s (UG-LFTP) Participants
    Isaac Alvin Amoah*
  3. Farmers’ Perception of Climate Change and Adoption of Alternate Wetting and Drying
    Irrigation Technology for Rice Production in the Northwest Bangladesh
    Mohammad Anamul Haque*; M. Zulfikar Rahman; Md. Harun-Or Rashid; Md Rakibul
    Hasan; Mohammad Amir Hamza Miah
  4. Evaluating Best Management Practices for Nutrient Load Reductions in Tile-Drained
    Watersheds of the Laurentian Great Lakes Basin: A Literature Review
    Md Bodruddoza*
  5. Adoption of Organic Vegetable Farming Practices among Farmers in Mymensingh
    District of Bangladesh
    Abdul Mannan*; Mahmuda Akter; Mohammad Anamul Haque
  6. Province-led Agriculture and Fisheries Extension System (PAFES) in the Philippines:
    Approaches, Rationale, Objectives, Framework, Strategies, Opportunities and
    Challenges
    Gideon Binobo*
  7. Sustainable Energy Solutions for Greenhouse Agriculture: The Role of Ag Energy Co
    Operative to Producers of Ontario’s Vegetable Sector
    Paul Asare Anim*
  8. Building the Capacity of Agricultural Extension Personnel for Effective
    Implementation of Agricultural Transformation Agenda in Nigeria
    Oludotun Oludotun*
  9. Farmers’ Adoption of Drought Tolerance Varieties of Rice in Dinajpur District of
    Bangladesh
    Md Rezaul Karim*
  10. Language Revitalization of the Six Nations of the Grand River: Indigenous-led
    Development
    Yuka Kazama*
  11. Carib. Farm – Digital Knowledge-Sharing Solution for Farmers
    Laura Macneil*
  12. Barriers, Perceptions, and Solutions in the Dissemination of Horticultural Cultivars: Insights from Farmers and Experts in Iran

    Saeedeh Nazari Noghabi*

13:45–15:15

Location : PCH CENTRE

The Scottish Model of Extension, Advisory Services, and Education: What Can We
Learn for Canadian Systems?”

Facilitator: Ataharul Chowdhury & Heather Watson
Chloe McCulloh & Jennifer Struthers, Scotland’s Rural College
Tracy Evans, Ministry of Agriculture, Executive Director, Regional Services Branch,
Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture

15:15–15:40

Location : PCH

15:45–17:30

PARALLEL (ROUNDTABLE & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT) SESSION II

• Emerging Lessons from Gender-Intentional Nature-Based Solutions for Climate
Adaptation (45 minutes)
Helen Hambly Odame*
• Cultivating Growth in Northern Ontario Agriculture (45 minutes)
Emily Seed; Rachel Kehoe*

• Grassroots Leadership (45 minutes)
Rachel Telford*
• Trust is the Technology: Mapping the Actor-Network for Rural Knowledge Exchange
(45 minutes)
Melisa Luymes*

  • Growing Extension Capacity and On-Farm Climate Resilience in Canada (60 minutes)
    Rosalie Gillis-Madden *; Geneviève Grossenbacher

• Empowering Farm Business Success: Engaging Farmers Through Evolving Extension
and Advisory Services (60 minutes)
Heather Watson*
• Turning Soil Health Tests into Tools Farmers Use: Can it be done? (30 Minutes)
Heather White *; Jake Munroe; Stephanie Vickers; Laura Van Eerd

• Digitalization and Responsible Use of AI to enhance capacity for Agri-food Systems (60
Minutes)
Laura Macneil*, roundtable with Rozita Dara, Neil A. Smith, Tomaso Ceccarelli, & Shelley Seed
• Beyond the Farm Gate: Engaging Publicly with Purpose and Impact (30 minutes)
Amanda Richardson*

18:00–20:30

Location : Science Complex Atrium

08:00–08:45

Location : TBA

9:00–10:30

Parallel (Abstract) Session III
Thursday,

Indigenous Knowledge and Food Systems

• The Community Citizen Scientist: The Garden Stewards in First Nation in Northern
Ontario, Case Study)
Paul Benalcazar*, Silvia Sarapura– Escobar, Charlotte Potter, Justina Walker, Seth Sabourin, Pic Mobert First Nation Community  et al.
• Braided and Interdisciplinary Approaches to Indigenous Food Systems for Food
Security and Sovereignty
Paul Benalcazar* Silvia Sarapura – Escobar, Charlotte Potter, Margarita Fontecha
• Local and Indigenous Knowledge Systems in the Peruvian Andes: Turno Cultivation in
the Campesino Communities of Huancachi and Quilcas
Charlotte Potter* Silvia Sarapura-Escobar
• Indigenous Wild Rice Systems and One Health: A Scoping Literature Review
Muireann Heuchan*; Margarita Fontecha; Natalia Berti; Silvia Sarapura Escobar

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 for social inclusion in Ontario agriculture
Melisa Luymes*

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

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*

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

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 Observability: Rethinking Soil Health Information Networks and Extension Through the Voices of Southern Ontario Farmers
Heather White

10:30–11:00

Location : PCH

11:00–12:30

PARALLEL (ROUNDTABLE & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT) SESSION IV

• Rural Economic Development: Ontario Ministry of Rural Affairs’ Approach to Capacity
Building (45 Minutes)
Karla Uliana*
• Effective Extension in Practice: Rethinking Ag Knowledge Mobilization through
Training and Multimedia (45 minutes)
Toban Dyck*, Jay Whetter

• Connecting Traditional and Non-Traditional Players in Extension to Drive Sustainability
Outcomes (45 minutes)
Janice LeBoeuf *; Christoph Wand, Panel Discussion with Nick Betts, Monica Hadarits & Mohamad Yaghi
• The North American Agricultural Advisory Network: Strengthening Extension Through
Cross-Border Collaboration (45 minutes)
David Nielson*, Panel Discussion with, Doug Steele, Jennifer Wright

• Modernizing Agricultural Extension: Introducing Root, a Digital Platform for Canadian
Producers (45 minutes)
Richard Hilton* Mark Redmond*  & Mohamad Yaghi
• LLMs for Ag Advisory: Opportunities, Limitations, and Practical Application (45
minutes)
Mahla Mirali*

• Externships in Capacity Development and Extension: Reflect and Review (30 minutes)
Helen Hambly* (45 minutes)

12:30–13:45

Location : PCH CENTRE

13:45–15:30

Location : PCH CENTRE

Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence in Agri-food Advisory, Extension and
Education: Lessons Learned and Ethical Considerations

Facilitator: Ataharul Chowdhury
Greetings: The Honourable Lisa Thompson, MPP, Ontario Minister of Rural Affairs
Panelists

Prof Klerkx Laurens, University of Talca, Chile, and Wageningen University
Dr Elsa Vasseur, McGill University
Mohamad Yaghi, Vice President of Innovation Hub and Agexpert at Farm Credit
Canada

15:30–15:55

Location : PCH

16:00–17:30

Parallel (Abstract) Session V
Thursday, October 30

16:00 – 17:30

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

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

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

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

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

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*

18:00–20:30

Location : Science Complex Atrium

Facilitator: Ataharul Chowdhury
Deb Stark, The Board of Governors, University of Guelph (incoming chair)

Dr. John Cranfield, Dean, Ontario Agricultural College

08:00–08:45

Location : TBA

9:00–10:30

Parallel (Abstract) VI

Entrepreneurship and Barriers in Agri-Development

• Exploring rural youth aspirations and life-courses in Colombia
Margarit Fontecha*; Silvia Sarapura-Escobar  [ONLINE]
• 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

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

Navigating Change: Understanding Transformations in Rural Economic Development Knowledge Translation and Transfer
Ryan Gibson*; Taylor Wilson; Jayden Cote

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

Sustainable Development and Ecosystems

• Climate Justice as a Pathway to Sustainable Development: A Content Analysis Review
Vahid Karimi*, Esmail Karamidehkordi, Homayon Farhadian, Masoud Bijan
• 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

10:30–11:00

Location : PCH

11:00–12:30

Location : PCH CENTRE

Closing & Plenary III
Dr. John Cranfield, Dean, Ontario Agricultural College
Facilitator: Ataharul Chowdhury & Rebeca Lee
Panelists
The Honourable Robert Black, P. Ag. (Hon), Senator for Ontario
Keith Currie, President, Canadian Federation of Agriculture

Brent Preston, President, Farmers for Climate Solutions

14:00–16:00

Location : PCH CENTRE

Facilitator: Khondokar Humayun Kabir & Ataharul Chowdhury

CAREE 2025 Full Schedule

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