On May 18, Dr. Ryan Gibson [1] and Dr. Lissel Hernandez-Gongora [2] participated in the Conference Share Your Science 2021: Adaptation to Societal Changes hosted by the Ontario Public Service Science Working Group. In this virtual conference, participants were invited to share their knowledge and experience on topics that included: 1) digital technologies for adaptation to societal changes; 2) societal knowledge and adaptation to unprecedented and wide-spread events; 3) social changes and experience with new norms.  

In their presentation entitled “Making a Difference: Enhancing Rural Policy Approaches through Collaboration”, Dr. Gibson and Dr. Hernandez-Gongora share insights from a multi-year research initiative that created a collaborative network of provincial, territorial, and federal rural policy analysts to collect information, share knowledge, and advance discussions on the implications on rural policy.

The researchers highlighted the need for collaborative partnerships, knowledge sharing, and innovative practice to support policy that facilitates prosperity in rural communities. These research findings are especially relevant as COVID-19 has amplified the challenges in rural development and rural policy across Canada. The conference presentation [3] is available online.

This research was funded through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance [4] in partnership with the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation [5], Rural Ontario Institute [6], and the Rural Policy Learning Commons [7].