The School of Environmental Design and Rural Development and the Ontario Agricultural College will host the first international conference on agri-food & rural advisory, extension and education in Guelph from October 29-31, 2025.

The conference theme is “Extension 4.0: Disruption and Transformation in Agri-Food and Rural Development.” It highlights the growing need to realize the Canadian approach and excellence in agri-food & rural development. We welcome various types of presentations, including research abstracts, posters, roundtables, and professional development sessions, to foster collaboration and learning among academia, policymakers, and practitioners.

We welcome submissions demonstrating provincial, national, regional, and global relevance to the six conference topics (see the flyer for details). Successful proposals should align with conference themes, exploring concepts, tools, methods, approaches, and practice-oriented activities within the crops, livestock, food, environment, technology, society, entrepreneurship, and rural sectors.

There will be numerous opportunities for students and early career researchers to connect with faculty, professionals, and fellow students through presentations, participation in a student reporter team, and social events. Additionally, we plan to organize an Agri-food and Rural Knowledge and Innovation Fair, where industry and community partners will share their knowledge and innovations regarding products, processes, and ideas with conference participants.

Please note the following details:

Date and Location: October 29-31, 2025, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada 

Conference theme: “Extension 4.0: Disruption and Transformation in Agri-Food and Rural Development”.

The deadline for abstract submission is Sunday, May 31, 2025, by 11:59 PM EST.  Please see the Abstract Submission and conference details on the CAREE conference website [1].