Now underway at the University of Guelph!
Extension education plays a vital role in developing the people, competencies, and institutions needed for effective extension and advisory services (EAS). Yet, despite its importance, it has become increasingly overlooked in Canada.
This session explores the past, present, and future of extension education and considers how CAREE can help renew it as a strategic pillar for Canada’s extension and advisory systems.
Featuring current Capacity Development and Extension (CDE) students, alongside faculty and alumni from the University of Guelph’s CDE program—Canada’s only higher education program specifically focused on extension and advisory services—the session brings together diverse perspectives on strengthening capacity development and advancing knowledge systems.
Moderators: Ataharul Chowdhury and Khondokar Humayun Kabir
Speaker: Sean Lyons, Associate Vice-President, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, University of Guelph
Panelists:
- Silvia Sarapura, Associate Professor, University of Guelph
- Larissa Parekh, Emergency Management Specialist, City of Mississauga
- Edward Kusi Asafo-Agyei, Senior Program and Policy Analyst, Government of Manitoba
- Kathleen Marnie Johnson Wood, MSc CDE Student and Ontario Federation of Agriculture
- Isaac Quansah, MSc CDE Student
The discussion highlights the importance of reconnecting extension education, knowledge systems, and capacity development to build stronger, more responsive extension and advisory services across Canada.
