News

Students in the advanced planning practice course travelled to the Essex, Ontario region at the end of February. There they met with local planning officials/development proponents to examine planning topics concerning economic development, and land use development challenges. Major planning themes centred on the evolving rural land base, e.g., on farm diversified land uses, agri-tourism development, vegetable and cannabis greenhouse production.

A new journal paper co-authored by Md Kamruzzaman, Ataharul Chowdhury, Helen Hambly and Silvia Sarapura, highlights how agricultural advisory agents use social media to support agricultural innovation in Bangladesh. The paper can be found online in the Rural Extension & Innovation Systems Journal, 2019 15(1) called "How do extension agents of DAE use social media for strengthening agricultural innovation in Bangladesh?"

On February 25, 2020, in partnership with the Ontario Good Roads Association (OGRA) and on behalf of the Building the Future research team, Ashleigh Weeden (PhD Candidate, Rural Studies) launched a survey for rural municipal officials and staff to learn more about their experiences in planning for and connecting infrastructure initiatives and economic development strategies.

Many rural businesses struggle to locate sufficient labour force. Many job vacancies go unfilled. How rural communities and businesses are able to attract and retain workers needed to generate economic development and vitality is a critical question. Lissel Hernandez-Gongora, a new postdoctoral fellow with the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, will examine this issue in partnership with rural communities and businesses.

Four SEDRD graduate students were recently profiled by the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) as emerging rural scholars! The February 2020 CRRF national newsletter highlighted the research being conducted by Victoria Agyepong, Koren Lam, and Ashleigh Weeden.  The research themes are noted below:

Community leaders from across Ontario convened in Toronto to discuss immigration strategies, challenges, and opportunities for small communities. Nine Rural Planning and Development students facilitated these discussions and will be compiling a summary report in the coming weeks. 

On February 5, 2020, three SEDRD members shared their rural research and knowledge with the In No Particular Order podcast series. Tony Fuller, retired Rural Planning and Development professor, discussed the agricultural revolution taking place China.

The Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation is pleased to announce the inaugural Frederick Gage Todd National Scholarship. This scholarship in the amount of $10,000 will be awarded to one exceptional landscape architecture student in the summer of 2020. Students must apply for this scholarship by May 1st.  Details including student eligibility and submission requirements can be found on the LACF website. 

The inaugural award of the Landscape Architecture Canada Foundation - Alain Lamontagne Scholarship in Landscape Architecture was presented for the first time to Beth Bray, 4th year BLA student. BLA alumnus Peter Kreuk, principal of Durante Kreuk in Vancouver, endowed this award in memoriam to Alain Lamontagne, who was a graduate of the BLA program in 2008 and a valued member of the dk staff. In attendance for the presentation were Alain’s family members and UofG professor emerita, Cecelia Paine, who presented the award on behalf of Peter and LACF. 

On January 27^th, the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) was pleased to host delegates from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and Global Affairs Canada to discuss: 1) The importance of rural-focused development in developing countries and, 2) Opportunities for collaboration with faculty and students from Rural Planning and Development and the University of Guelph more generally.