1st International SECURE-AGRO Workshop

Overview

Smart agriculture is being transformed by AI, IoT, robotics, blockchain, and data-driven decision-making — bringing new challenges around privacy, security, trust, reliability, and equity. The 1st International SECURE-AGRO Workshop brings together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and industry stakeholders to advance the responsible development of resilient smart-agriculture systems. Original research papers, position papers, case studies, demonstrations, and interdisciplinary contributions are welcome, including work beyond the listed topics.

Affiliated with the SECURE-AGRO NSERC CREATE training program at the University of Guelph. Co-located with the 23rd Annual International Conference on Privacy, Security and Trust (PST 2026) at the University of Ottawa.

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, using the standard IEEE two-column conference template. All papers are reviewed double-blind and must be properly anonymized, or they may be rejected without review.

• Full papers — up to 8 pages including references and appendix (up to 2 additional pages allowed with over-length charges)
• Short papers — up to 4 pages including references and appendix
• Format — PDF, IEEE two-column conference template
• Review — double-blind

Submission site: https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=secureagro2026

Important dates

• Paper submission deadline: July 20, 2026 (Anywhere on Earth)
• Notification of acceptance: August 1, 2026
• Camera-ready paper due: August 5, 2026
• Workshop date: August 27, 2026 (during PST 2026)

Selected papers for journal publication

Authors of selected high-quality papers will be invited to submit a substantially extended version for possible publication in Sustainable Cities and Society: Advances (SCSADV), an Elsevier open-access journal. Invited submissions must provide significant new contributions beyond the workshop paper and will undergo the journal’s own independent peer review; an invitation does not guarantee acceptance.

Policy on generative AI

SECURE-AGRO 2026 follows the PST 2026 policy on the use of generative AI. Authors must disclose any substantive use of generative AI tools in the Acknowledgments section, including which tools were used and what they contributed. Generative AI systems may not be listed as authors, and authors remain responsible for the accuracy of all claims, data, results, and references.

Innovation Runway competition

The Innovation Runway is a three-minute pitch competition inviting PhD students and researchers to present the commercial potential of their research. Spaces are limited and selected first-come, first-served; a prize is awarded to the winning presentation.

Registration: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdlOgOD-9TWIoJlk0oDASIkoY5YQcCRNfiH9ynEyCaM9u1cYg/viewform

Organizing committee

Workshop Chair: Ali Dehghantanha — Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity and Threat Intelligence; Director, Cyber Science Lab, University of Guelph.

Workshop Co-Chair: Fattane Zarrinkalam — Assistant Professor, College of Engineering; Faculty Affiliate, Vector Institute; University of Guelph.

Workshop Co-Chair: Srini Sampalli — Professor, Faculty of Computer Science, Dalhousie University; 3M National Teaching Fellow.

Publicity Chair: Havva Alizadeh Noughabi — Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Guelph.

Program committee

• Evan Fraser — University of Guelph
• Gisele LaPointe — University of Guelph
• 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