News

On 420 hectares of protected arid landscape, surrounded by starkly beautiful mountains whose ochre colours fade into the horizon, a unique botanic garden is being developed in the Sultanate of Oman. It is a globally significant and intensely challenging project that will present the native plant species of Oman as vegetation communities, showcased together in their natural habitats. The botanic garden team includes botanists, horticulturalists, ethnobotanists and senor landscape architect and BLA Alumnus, Andrew Anderson.

SEDRD is engaged with United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s annual flagship publication known as The State of Food and Agriculture (SOFA). Each year it has a thematic focus on a major topic of importance for agricultural, rural development and food security. The topic of the 2014 edition of the SOFA is “Agricultural innovation in family farming for sustainable rural development”. SOFA consultations will include a presentation to the Global Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services, the apex association for agricultural extension.

Professor Helen Hambly interviews Capacity Development and Extension MSc student, Mahmuda Anwar on conducting field research on community radio for agricultural and rural development in Bangladesh.  Full interview can be found on the Mobilizing Knowledge for Sustainable Agriculture Blogspot.

Jamal Nureddin, a fourth year student in the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program has recently been featured in a news article on the Ontario Agricultural College website.

https://www.uoguelph.ca/oac/news/meet-jamal-oac-student

For most students, summer is a break from attending class and studying, but just because their formal education is on hold doesn’t mean all students want to pause their learning. Working on campus is a popular and rewarding route for students who want a summer job that will expand their knowledge and equip them with career-advancing skills through experiential learning.  http://atguelph.uoguelph.ca/2013/08/summer-jobs-on-campus-provide-valuable-experience/

Steve Barnhart, MLA '95 and an Adjunct Professor in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, received a 2013 regional merit award from the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects.  http://atguelph.uoguelph.ca/2013/08/adjunct-prof-wins-national-landscape-award/

Professor's Ataharul Chowdhury and Helen Hambly Odame published an article in the Journal of Agricultural Education and Extension called "Transforming the Roles of a Public Extension Agency to Strengthen Innovation: Lessons from the National Agricultural Extension Project in Bangladesh". 

In March, the Advanced Planning Practice class travelled to Polk County in Central Florida. The objectives of this trip were to provide experiential learning through case study analysis, draw on comparisons between American and Canadian jurisdictions and develop skills for applying this analysis to a local Ontario context. During this field trip, the class experienced a new-urbanist community, a reclaimed phosphate mining site and a sixth generation cattle ranch.

“There are things that landscape architects and urban designers can do to make cities cool, particularly during heat waves,” says landscape architecture professor Bob Brown in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development.  A leafy canopy creates shelter from the sun's rays.  Not only do they absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, but they can also help keep urban areas cool.

See full article in At Guelph http://atguelph.uoguelph.ca/2013/07/trees-can-help-cities-beat-the-heat/

University of Guelph

Local Food and Agriculture

by:  John F Devlin

As the planet’s population continues to grow and use finite resources, long-term sustainability comes more and more into question. Food sovereignty, responsible water use, the role of technology in environmentally sustainable development, and healthy communities all depend on long-range vision and good land use decisions.