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Call for Papers · 1st International SECURE-AGRO Workshop

Cybersecure, Reliable, and Equitable Smart Agriculture
SECURE-AGRO 2026

Co-located with the 23rd Annual International Conference on Privacy, Security and Trust
(PST 2026), held at the University of
Ottawa from August 26 to 28, 2026.

Affiliated with the SECURE-AGRO NSERC CREATE training program at the University of Guelph.

The Parliament Buildings and Peace Tower on Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

The Parliament Buildings on Parliament Hill, Ottawa, the host city of PST 2026.

Workshop dateDuring PST 2026 conference
(August 26 to 28, 2026)
VenueUniversity of Ottawa
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Submission deadline15 July 2026 (AoE)
Paper lengthFull 10 pp · Short 6 pp
(incl. references and appendix)

Overview

Smart agriculture is rapidly transforming food production through artificial intelligence, the Internet of
Things, robotics, blockchain, and data-driven decision-making. These opportunities also bring new challenges
for privacy, security, trust, reliability, and equity. The 1st International Workshop on Cybersecure, Reliable,
and Equitable Smart Agriculture (SECURE-AGRO 2026) brings together researchers, practitioners, policymakers,
and industry stakeholders to advance the responsible development of resilient smart agriculture systems.

We invite original research papers, position papers, case studies, demonstrations, and interdisciplinary
contributions on the topics listed below. Related work beyond this list is equally welcome.

Topics of Interest

Cybersecure Smart Agriculture

  • Security of agricultural IoT devices and sensors
  • Drone, robotics, and precision agriculture platform security
  • Cyber-physical security of connected farms
  • Threat intelligence for the agri-food sector

Privacy, Trust, and Data Governance in AgFoodTech

  • Privacy-preserving agricultural data sharing
  • Farm-data sovereignty and ownership
  • Blockchain, traceability, and provenance verification
  • Governance of farm, supply-chain, and food-safety data

Trustworthy and Reliable AI for Agri-Food

  • Explainable and transparent AI for smart farming
  • Robust and dependable ML for crop and livestock management
  • Fair and accountable AI in food-safety decision support
  • Verification and assurance for agri-AI systems
  • Generative AI, privacy, and trust in AgFoodTech

Resilient Agri-Food Infrastructure and Supply Chains

  • Risk assessment and anomaly detection in agri-food systems
  • OT/ICS security for processors and logistics providers
  • Fault tolerance and recovery in food production systems
  • Incident response and continuity for food supply chains

Human-Centered, Equitable, and Responsible AgFoodTech

  • Inclusive design and the rural digital divide
  • Cybersecurity awareness and training for farmers
  • Adoption barriers and policy considerations
  • Equitable access for smallholder and Indigenous communities
  • Misinformation and trust in digital agriculture

Submission Guidelines

SECURE-AGRO 2026 follows the PST 2026 submission and review process. Authors must follow the
PST 2026 submission
guidelines
, using the standard
IEEE
two-column conference template
. All papers are reviewed double-blind and must be anonymized; submissions
that are not properly anonymized may be rejected without review.

Full papers
up to 10 pages, including references and appendix.
Short papers
up to 6 pages, including references and appendix.
Format
PDF, prepared with the IEEE two-column conference template.
Review
double-blind; anonymize according to the PST 2026 guidelines.

Submit via EasyChair
Formatting and templates
Submission site opening soon. The link will be activated here.

Important Dates

  • Paper submission deadline: 15 July 2026
  • Notification of acceptance: 1 August 2026
  • Camera-ready paper due: 5 August 2026
  • Workshop date: During PST 2026 (August 26 to 28, 2026)

All deadlines are 23:59 Anywhere on Earth (AoE). The workshop takes place during PST 2026, held
at the University of Ottawa from August 26 to 28, 2026; the exact workshop day will be confirmed by the
organizers.

Publication

Accepted papers will be published in the PST 2026 proceedings and submitted for inclusion in
IEEE Xplore alongside the PST 2026 main proceedings.

Policy on the Use of Generative AI

SECURE-AGRO 2026 follows the PST 2026 policy on the use of generative AI tools. Authors must disclose any
substantive use of generative AI in the Acknowledgments section, specifying the tools used, the sections or
elements containing AI-generated content, and the nature of the assistance. Generative AI systems may not be
listed as authors, and authors remain solely responsible for the accuracy of all claims, data, results, and
references. Minor grammar and copy-editing assistance need not be disclosed.

Organizing Committee

Workshop Chair
Dr. Ali Dehghantanha
Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity and Threat Intelligence; Director, Cyber Science Lab, University of Guelph.
Workshop Co-Chair
Dr. Fattane Zarrinkalam
Assistant Professor, College of Engineering; Faculty Affiliate, Vector Institute; University of Guelph.

Program Committee

Evan Fraser (University of Guelph)
Gisele LaPointe (University of Guelph)
Natalia Stakhanova (University of Saskatchewan)
Stuart Smyth (University of Saskatchewan)
Nur Zincir-Heywood (Dalhousie University)
Frank Rudzicz (Dalhousie University)
Suresh Raja Neethirajan (Dalhousie University)
Benjamin C. M. Fung (McGill University)
Lenore Newman (University of the Fraser Valley)

Sponsors

Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC / CRSNG)
University of Guelph
Cyber Science Lab

Contact

For all enquiries regarding the workshop, please contact the SECURE-AGRO 2026 Organizing Committee:

SECUREAGRO@cybersciencelab.com

For information on the main conference, visit
pstnet.ca/pst2026.

SECURE-AGRO 2026 · 1st International Workshop on Cybersecure, Reliable, and Equitable Smart Agriculture
· Co-located with PST 2026, University of Ottawa, Canada.