Key dates

>> Call for abstracts (150-words, in English): Now closed

>> Registrations: open until the conference.

>> Full submissions (papers and e-presentations): October 1st
>> Decisions on full submissions: November 1st

>> Publication payment will be due upon submission and refunded (minus $5 processing fees) if the publication is rejected by the scientific committee

>> e-presentation submission of revisions by November 20th
>> Papers submission of revisions by December 1st
>> Decision on selection for the December global event (plenaries on 5th – 7th): November 15th

Formats

Abstract are 150 words, in English.

Authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to register and submit either or both:
– a 5-page paper: 1500-2000 words (+ figures), for which guidelines will be provided
– a 4-min e-presentation: recorded, free format (3 min preferred, 4.30 min maximum)

Submissions are in English; authors wanting to feature duplicated versions of their papers and presentations in other languages are invited to discuss the options with the Organizing Committee.

– A selection of papers and e-presentations will be featured during the December global event, organized within the 4 themes of “Value Creation”, “People and Processes”, “Data and Analytics”, “Policy Linkages”.

– All will be published open access in the Book of Proceedings in February 2024, for which editing will be provided, with e-presentations compiled in a dedicated YouTube channel. See the #OFE2021 Proceedings for examples.

Authors intending to submit a paper and matching e-presentation may submit only one form. If the intention is to submit different studies and therefore different abstracts, please submit several abstracts even if the authors are the same.

Please note there is no discount for multiple submissions, for which editing is done at cost.

Scope

All contributions are invited that may:
– Progress the OFE sciences, across and at the intersection of agronomy, data and social sciences
– Contribute bringing OFE communities together

Formats may include:
– Experimental, empirical and theoretical research articles
– Reviews and meta-analyses
– Critical accounts of design and implementation experiences
– Reflexive accounts on relevant local, regional or global trends, situations or state of affairs

Relevant topics include:
• Value creation and sharing
• Organisation of supporting innovation ecosystems, from local to global scales
• Data engineering, management, analytics and sharing, from low-tech to high tech
• Lessons learnt from successful and failed endeavors
• Ethics and political agronomy
• Public policy, institutional strategies and investment recommendations
• Systemic perspectives or transdisciplinary dimensions linking with broader food system issues

Though not a pre-requisite for selection, addressing the following points is particularly encouraged:
• This year’s overarching theme “Exploring shared value propositions”, exemplifying how people organise to create and share value through OFE
• Applied examples explaining the change or the adaptation to difficult or unusual conditions that OFE enables 
• Deliberate strategies to overcome disciplinary siloes, promote digital inclusion, and growth OFE capacities

On-Farm Experimentation (OFE)

is a farmer-centric pathway to improve agri-food systems by accelerating the production of salient, credible, and legitimate knowledge. Based on experiments co-designed with farmers, conducted by them, and for their interests first, OFE not only answers farmers’ own questions but also provides data for researchers to create more broadly valuable insights. As such, OFE is a practical and adaptive mechanism to bridge the interest of farmers, researchers, extension services, industry providers and other stakeholders. 

OFE responds to novel questions and enduring problems in agri-food systems, raising methodological challenges and highlighting pressing demands at the intersection of human, technological and institutional dimensions. 

This notably regards digital technologies that promise heightened innovation in agriculture by complementing experimental research with local, distributed and participatory processes. 
While not necessary nor a requirement for OFE, adequate development and use of digital tools can strengthen the collaborative process as they facilitate data collection and analysis, as well as the sharing of information and knowledge. 

Concurrently, questions endure on how to practically improve equity in the production of agricultural knowledge, ranging from the development of accessible low-tech tools to the promotion of effective and resilient organizational processes, within small groups through to large organisations.

OFE Research Direction

Review process

Abstracts will be reviewed by members of the Organizing Committee part of the Scientific Committee.
Papers and e-presentations will be reviewed anonymously and independently by two members of the Scientific Committee who will decide if revisions will be necessary, with the Organizing Committee reserving final decision.
Pending approval, only final accepted submissions are required to pay publication fees.

Questions

Please check the F.A.Q, or contact the Organising Committee.

OFE 2021
OFE 2021
OFE 2021