University of Guelph researchers are highlighting a growing challenge for agriculture and rural communities: misinformation can weaken the advisory capacity farmers depend on during crises. In a new The Conversation article, Ataharul Chowdhury and Khondokar H. Kabir, with Ranjan Datta of Mount Royal University, show how wildfire misinformation and online toxicity can crowd out credible…

University of Guelph researchers Ataharul Chowdhury and Khondokar H. Kabir argue that Canada’s new food security strategy overlooks a critical piece of the puzzle: the extension and advisory services that help farmers turn research, technology and policy into practical decisions. Their article highlights the need to strengthen Canada’s farm advisory capacity so investments in innovation…

In a recent discussion with agricultural journalist Owen Roberts, Prof. Ataharul Chowdhury emphasized that while extension activities are active across the country, they remain fragmented and unevenly accessible, limiting their overall impact. He pointed to growing challenges such as sustainability, evolving markets, artificial intelligence, misinformation, and the lack of training for future extension professionals as…

Dr. Ataharul Chowdhury and Kabir were interviewed by John Greig to discuss their research on social media disengagement and misinformation. The article was published in Farmtario, read more Misinformation, polarization drive agriculture off social media The agri-food sector is experiencing a quiet but significant shift as many farmers, advisors, and value-chain professionals step back from…

One of the Dr. Chowdhury’s co-authored paper, “Trustworthy AI: AI developers’ lens to implementation challenges and opportunities,”  has received the 2025 Best Paper Award from Data and Information Management. Congratulations to the lead author, Carter Cousineau, and co-author Rozita A. Dara for this recognition. The publication came out of a project of Rozita Dara’s lab,…

At a recent Learning & Sharing Webinar organized by Universities Canada for IDRA recipients, Uduak had the opportunity to share on her research. Uduak is a third-year PhD candidate in Rural Studies and a 2024 recipient of the International Doctoral Research Awards. Her research titled: Artificial Intelligence for Building Climate Resilient Food Systems in Southwest…

One of our team members, Dr. Mahatab Uddin, participated in the event as a Lead Author of Working Group III of the IPCC’s Seventh Assessment Report (AR7). He joined more than six hundred experts appointed to the three Working Groups of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), who gathered in Paris last week to begin work…

Sultana Yeasmin defended her thesis on “The Influence of Misinformation on the Participation of Rural Young People with Disabilities (PWD) in Agriculture in Bangladesh.” Her work contributes to the critical research areas of social inequality and social justice, particularly in the less-explored field of agri-food and rural misinformation research. The findings reveal that widespread misinformation…

OAC’s School of Environmental Design and Rural Development at the University of Guelph is excited to be hosting the 1st International Conference on Canadian Agri-Food & Rural Advisory, Extension, and Education (CAREE). See the call for proposals and how you and your colleagues can contribute to this timely and important event on a topic that matters to…

Hello! You might not know me but, as I write this, today is the last day of my internship with The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD). I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with IFAD! Words aren’t enough to express my gratitude. I still find it hard to believe that I even…