What is the future of rural Canada? This was the focus of the State of Rural Canada webinar hosted by the Rural Policy Learning Commons on September 20, 2016. Drs. Al Lauzon and Ryan Gibson served as panellists on the webinar, both presenting research from the report. The webinar brought together over 70 participants from across Canada!
Congratulations to Mery Perez, a PhD in Rural Studies candidate on her recent book chapter publication.
The book was published by Routledge and is entitled Re-imagining Community and Civil Society in Latin America and the Caribbean. Mery's chapter is entitled" "Community and Learning: The Process of Conscientization among Nicaraguan Peasants through Song".
The Ontario Agricultural College project entitled "A Day in the Life" features the life and research of OAC graduate students. Visit the profile of Rachana Devkota, a graduate student in the PhD Rural Studies program within the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development.
The Ontario Agricultural College project entitled "A Day in the Life" features the life and research of OAC graduate students. Visit the profile of Valencia Gaspard, a graduate student in the PhD Rural Studies program within the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development.
Rural Studies PhD graduate student, Valencia Gaspard
Congratulations to Paola Vasquez, a PhD Rural Studies student who took part in a project that is receiving the United Nations' Moment for Change Climate Award (1 of 16 globally) to be awarded in Paris, France. The Momentum for Change initiative is spearheaded by the UN Climate Change secretariat to shine a light on some of the most innovative, scalable and replicable examples of what people are doing to address climate change.
Prof. Al Lauzon has been named the interim director of the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) effective November 1, 2015.
Lauzon will assume interim director duties as Prof. Wayne Caldwell serves as interim dean of the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC).
Professors Al Lauzon, Wayne Caldwell and David Douglas of the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development,contribute to the State of Rural Canada 2015 report which was produced by the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) and the Rural Policy Learning Commons, an international network funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Graduate Students Hosted 2nd Annual SEDRD Conference
As a unique interdisciplinary department at the University of Guelph, the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) brings together rural studies, landscape architecture, planning, and capacity development to look at rural development from various angles. Last year, the SEDRD annual conference served as a forum for student researchers from the four above-mentioned programs to present research, foster connections, and exchange ideas. The success of last year’s conference was repeated and topped this year.
At the Rural Research Day organized by the Ontario Ministry of Food, Agriculture, and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) in April 2014, Dr. Al Lauzon shared his vision for a rural knowledge network. "The idea goes back to the Ontario Rural Council (TORC) (2007) which highlighted the need to inform policy by facilitating connections between policy-makers, researchers, and communities" said Dr. Lauzon. Since then, his vision has taken the form of an exploratory project.