Digital Communication for Agricultural and Rural Development

Ataharul Chowdhury is an Associate Professor in the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, University of Guelph and the President of the Association for International Agricultural and Extension Education. He has led various collaborative projects with national, regional, and international partners to facilitate sustainable agriculture and rural development in remote and resource-poor communities. His research focuses on topics like agricultural advisory services and knowledge mobilization, climate change, communication and innovation studies, digital development, technology adoption, and misinformation.Gordon A. Gow is Director of the Media and Technology Studies unit at the University of Alberta, where he is cross-appointed with the Department of Sociology. He has led various collaborative research projects in digital leadership and literacy with community-engaged projects, including a technology stewardship initiative with Canadian and international partners.

• 1. Introduction Part 1: Reflecting on the Participatory Paradigm in C4D 2. Non-negotiable components of participation in the digital age of communication for development and social change 3. Datafication, aggregation, and heteromation: Participation in a digitally mediated world Part 2: Critical Perspectives on Digital Participation 4. Data-driven digital participation in agri-food context: Why should C4D and CfSC scholars and practitioners pay attention to information disorder? 5. Agricultural extension, social media, and the dilemma of path dependency Part 3: Lesson for a Post-COVID Era: Practices, Experiences, Cases, and Tools 6. DigitalNWT — Adapting digital tools to support remotely managed digital literacy research, education, and communications in Northern Canada 7. The paradox of digital participation and misinformation: Lessons from online agri-food communities of practice in Trinidad and Tobago 8. Inclusive digital pathways for agricultural extension: Exploring micro-level innovation with technology stewardship training in Sri Lanka and Trinidad 9. School closures on rural education: Examining remote learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Chile 10. Are rural smallholders ready for agricultural digitalization? Farmer (In)competencies and the political economy of access in digital agricultural extension and advisories in Northern Ghana 11. Redefining the use of ICTs as tools for empowering farmers and rural communities: A Malawian case study 12. Internet use genres: A lens for analyzing patterns of Internet adoption in rural communities of Canada, Chile, and Vietnam 13. Teaching community engagement in the Digital Age: Reflexive pedagogical experiences 14. Masculinity and participation in China: Exploring ideals and practices of development in a Heyang village 15. Participatory practices and lessons from scientific animations without borders and a WhatsApp network in a post-COVID age: The case of video animations for rural agriculture 16. Conclusion