This month, the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food visited Alberta to support innovation and technological adoption within the region’s farming and food industry.
Building on the recently announced $3.2-billion National Food Security Strategy, minister Heath MacDonald unveiled $900,000 in funding for Calgary’s SmartGRO Bioengineering under the Agricultural Clean Technology Program’s Research and Innovation Stream.
Part of the National Food Security Strategy includes an investment of $750 million to expand year-round Canadian production of fruits and vegetables, including through greenhouses, vertical farms, and other enclosed growing spaces.
In this vein, SmartGRO is developing a novel system that utilizes a combination of fast-pulsing LED lights, plant sensors, and artificial intelligence in order to collect information about the plants and then act on that data to optimize growth and health.
Controlled tests showed SmartGRO plants produced the same harvest weight regular ones while using up to 80% less electricity.
“With support from the ACT – Research and Innovation Stream, SmartGRO can develop new technology that has the potential to help Canadian farmers grow more food while using less electricity,” stated MacDonald. “By making indoor agriculture more efficient and sustainable, this innovation can help reduce costs and environmental impacts, while strengthening year-round food production across Canada.”
Canada “has the talent and technology to lead the next generation of controlled-environment agriculture,” according to Jared Wolfe, cofounder and Chief Executive Officer of SmartGRO.
“This support from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada will help SmartGRO validate at commercial scale a patent-pending, Canadian-developed lighting and intelligent control platform designed to help growers produce more food, year-round, using dramatically less electricity,” Wolfe stated.
The tech-forward Hydragreens Produce, also out of Calgary, is partnering with SmartGRO on the project and investing its own capital as well.
“We’re excited to partner with SmartGRO to test this advanced technology under real-world commercial growing conditions,” remarked company president Marc Schulz.
“Improving energy efficiency is essential to the future of indoor agriculture, and innovations like this can help growers reduce costs, increase productivity, and make year-round food production in Canada more sustainable,” he noted. “We’re proud to support its development.”
The Agricultural Clean Technology Program provides farmers and agri-businesses funding to develop and adopt clean technologies.
“Alberta’s agriculture and agri-food sector plays a vital role in communities across the province and in Canada’s economy,” MacDonald concluded at the end of his tour.
“It is so important to hear directly from producers, processors, and industry partners about their experiences, priorities, and ideas for growth,” he continued.
“By working together across provinces and territories, we can build a stronger, more connected food system that delivers for Canadians and puts high-quality Canadian food on tables across the country,” the minister stated.
To date, 535 projects have been announced under the ACT Program, totalling up to more than $300M across Canada.
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