With the establishment of the North American Agricultural Advisory Network (NAAAN), a partnership platform has been created between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The NAAAN aims to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing in agricultural extension programs and practices, facilitate networking and partnerships among stakeholders, and advocate for policy development related to agricultural extension. The NAAAN organizes its work around three thematic areas:
The following information highlights the 2023-2025 priority areas for the NAAAN as we foster knowledge exchange and collaboration within the agricultural extension community of Canada, Mexico, and the United State
NAAAN PRIORITY AREAS SUMMARY
Access the NAAAN Priority Areas Summary outlining our areas of work for 2023-2025. This one-page PDF format is available in English, Spanish, and French.
2023-2025 Priorities
1. Host the 2023 Global Forum for Rural Advisory Services (GFRAS) Annual Meeting (GAM) (October 17-19 in Denver, Colorado) – In collaboration with the GFRAS Secretariat, the GAM Program Committee and the NAAAN Country Teams, the NAAAN Secretariat designs the program, fundraises, arranges logistical requirements, engages with various representatives, plans off-campus field trips to local farms and ranches, and ensures effective communication to provide participants with a comprehensive and enriching experience. The NAAAN aims to foster cooperation, knowledge exchange, and establish the next steps for collaboration with global and regional partners.
2. Establish NAAAN Country Hubs – This priority area focuses on establishing country-based hubs within each member country to facilitate discussions, collaborations, and activities among stakeholders. The NAAAN Secretariat will provide administrative support to these hubs, including meeting coordination, virtual hosting, communication facilitation, and document sharing. The country hubs will be led by nominated individuals and leaders to prioritize topics of discussion, regional cooperation, and thematic work, under the guidance of the NAAAN Steering Committee members and Senior Staff from the countries.
The Canada Country Hub will focus on:
- Hub Formulation: The goal is to engage interested stakeholders and integrate them into the Canada hub structure, with a specific emphasis on achieving broad provincial participation and indigenous representation.
- Labor: Addressing labor shortages in Canadian agriculture will also be a focus by working to overcome barriers to entry in the sector, and attracting underrepresented groups, youth, and immigrants to pursue careers in agriculture. Collaboration with the U.S. and Mexico hubs will be sought to analyze the labor issue comprehensively.
- Growth and Expansion: After the GFRAS Annual Meeting, the Canada country hub aims to continue growing and expanding its activities while exploring additional areas of focus.
The Mexico Country Hub will focus on:
- The Future of Mexico’s Agricultural Extension Service: The Mexico hub will analyze and address the roles and coordination among government levels, universities, research institutes, the private sector, and inclusive extension services within Mexico’s agricultural extension service.
- The Role of Science, Innovation, and Agricultural Extension Services in Mexico’s Food System: The hub will examine Mexico’s food system, including supply chains, and analyze the role of research and extension services countrywide.
- Migration: The hub with Mexican leaders and content experts, will study the impact of migration on agriculture, rural development, and its implications for the extension service.
The United States Country Hub will focus on:
- Hub Formulation and Engagement: The U.S. hub will engage stakeholders from various institutions and organizations, including land-grant universities with state and county extension programs, to establish the hub and ensure broad participation.
- Post GFRAS Annual Meeting Engagement: The country hub will highlight the next steps and collaborate with groups that prioritize serving underserved communities and youth in agricultural education and career opportunities.
- Cross-Border Information Sharing on Disaster Mitigation and Management: The U.S. hub aims to develop a structure for sharing knowledge and preventing/mitigating the impacts of natural disasters in agriculture and rural communities, with a focus on cross-border cooperation. Groups such as the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) will play a pivotal role in leadership.
- Climate Change with emphasis on Soil Health and Water Management: Again, pairing with ongoing partnership projects and with existing organizations, the country hub will explore how to better engage extension and rural communities around the tools needed for mitigating the impact of climate change.
- Stakeholder Engagement: The U.S. country hub, excluding federal government personnel, will organize briefings and discussions with wide support, targeting congressional leaders, to facilitate collaboration and address agricultural priorities.
3. Implement Storytelling and Marketing Campaign – As part of the ongoing efforts to expand awareness, credibility, sponsorship, and membership within Canada, Mexico, and the United States, the NAAAN is implementing a storytelling and marketing campaign. This campaign, aligned with the NAAAN communication strategy, aims to amplify the reach and impact of the organization’s workstreams. Through effective communication channels and collaboration with the three member countries, the NAAAN will promote agriculture innovation, share agricultural information across rural and urban landscapes, and highlight the importance of agriculture advisory services. The campaign will also emphasize best practices and stories of impact in agriculture biosecurity, soil health, water management, and youth career development.
Potential Areas of Work
The feasibility of additional areas of focus and work will be determined through further discussion and fundraising with NAAAN leadership:
4. NAAAN Extension Exchange – A NAAAN Extension Exchange would facilitate collaboration and exchanges between farmers, agricultural advisory, and extension agents within Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. The goal is to connect existing exchange programs and incorporate a stronger extension and rural advisory services message into these exchanges. This ties closely with the NAAAN’s third thematic area of Building the Next Generation of Leaders.
5. Extension Education and Engagement Opportunities – This focuses on improving agricultural extension education in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Currently, there is limited availability of agricultural extension degree programs and non-degree certificates in each country, and professionals lack exposure to neighboring countries’ approaches. Moreover, extension professionals need education in emerging areas like data science, artificial intelligence, supply chains, the circular economy, and food security. Additional background information is needed to understand existing agricultural and extension programs and the demand for educational opportunities.
6. Private Sector Agricultural Extension and Advisory Study in NAAAN Countries – Following the work of the 2022 public sector study and the Feeding North America Through Agricultural Extension report, the NAAAN acknowledges the importance of better understanding private-sector agricultural extension and advisory services in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Through surveys and expert consultations, the NAAAN proposes to develop an overview of private-sector agricultural extension and advisory services in each country. The results will be compiled into individual reports by writing teams in each country and in consultation with experts within the private sector agricultural community.
To stay connected to the NAAAN and to learn about our priority area progress, join our newsletter.