2nd Smart Villages Symposium 2025 – Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Smart Villages

The University of Guelph hosted the first Smart Villages Symposium, themed ‘Reimagining Rural Development for the 21st Century’ in Fall 2024. The 2nd Smart Villages Symposium themed ‘Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Smart Villages’ is planned for Wednesday, October 15th, 2025, at the University of Guelph, in Guelph. 

This one-day symposium is organized by the Canada India Research Centre for Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) with support from the Canada India Foundation and the Office of International Strategy & Partnerships. 

The Smart Village concept comprises innovative and smart solutions for building resilient communities in rural areas. While having received much attention in Asia and Africa, the concept is becoming more important in the recent years in other parts of the world including Canada and the US as a tool to empower the rural communities. The previous Smart Village conferences have focused on defining and discussing ‘smart’ based on technological advances and bridging the global urban-rural divide, as also consolidated in the book by Dr. Lakshmanan and colleagues.  

The symposium themed “Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Smart Villages” at the University of Guelph will focus on smart solutions tailored to rural environments that would enable the communities in these environments to prosper economically and progress socially while attaining environmental sustainability. Special emphasis will be placed on integrating traditional rural knowledge with cutting-edge scientific research to foster inclusive and geographically relevant solutions that increase productivity and resilience in the agri-food sector, address food insecurity, and mitigate climate change.  

Featuring speakers from Canada, India, and other agriculturally significant regions, the symposium will serve as a dynamic platform for showcasing research, setting strategic priorities, and forging new partnerships for sustainable and smart village development. The symposium will be an interdisciplinary event. It will bring together STEM, business, and social science faculty and students from various universities, policymakers, industry experts, and farmers to explore opportunities for the development of climate-smart agriculture practices and technological interventions.  

Co-chairs: Dr. Guneet Kaur, College of Engineering, and Director, CIRCLE, University of Guelph and Dr. V. I. Lakshmanan, Process Research ORTECH Inc., Canada

Please note: This is an in-person event. All participants are required to register in advance (green tab). There is no registration fee. 

Additional information: There is free parking at The Arboretum for all participants.  

Agenda:

The symposium will consist of the following sessions: 

• Opening Plenary 
• Precision in agri-food sector: Agricultural, food, IT, innovations 
• Ethics and social implications of scientific innovation 
• Panel Discussion: Policy, Farm, and Industry 
• How can AI be an enabler for agriculture: innovation and social equality 
• Flash Presentations by Graduate Students/Postdocs and Societies 

Featured Speakers:

To be announced shortly.

Organizing Committee:

• Dr. Guneet Kaur, College of Engineering, University of Guelph
• Dr. Biniam Kebede, Department of Food Science, University of Guelph
• Dr. Belinda Leach, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, University of Guelph
• Dr. Manjusri Misra, College of Engineering, University of Guelph 
• Dr. Sharada Srinivasan, Department of Sociology & Anthropology, University of Guelph 
• Himashree Ponrajan, PhD candidate, College of Engineering, University of Guelph
• Office of International Strategy & Partnerships, University of Guelph: Dr. Ben Bradshaw, Natasha Fernandez, Caitlin Smith