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Governments of Canada and B.C. Supporting 10 New Agritech Projects With $1 Million Through Canada-BC Agri-Innovation Program
Thursday, August 18, 2022
Vancouver, BC, August 18, 2022--(T-Net)--The governments of Canada and B.C. announced today that they are supporting 10 new projects with more than $1 million through the Canada-British Columbia Agri-Innovation Program to help fight climate change, address labour shortages, increase profitability and increase adoption of regenerative agriculture practices.
The program is administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC.
The following 10 projects received more than $1 million from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership under the Canada-British Columbia Agri-Innovation Program, delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. This brings the total funding to more $11.3 million since the program began in April 2018.
Amphoraxe Life Sciences Inc., Vancouver:
Dicklands Farms, Chilliwack:
Docantheon Horticulture, Victoria:
Elk Root Conservation Farm Society, Slocan Park:
E.S. Cropconsult Limited, Surrey:
Geotronics Consulting Inc., Okanagan:
Heppell's Potato Corp., Surrey:
Okanagan College, Kelowna:
University of British Columbia, Vancouver:
Dicklands Farms FLP in Chilliwack is receiving $165,000 to help design and develop a low-emission dairy barn that will capture and clean barn air, and control barn temperature and humidity. By combining cutting edge, commercially available technologies, Dicklands Farms aims to lower greenhouse gas emissions from the dairy sector, while giving dairy farmers the ability to control the environment inside their barns, keeping their cows healthy and safe during extreme weather and increasing productivity.
Docantheon Horticulture is developing a three-wheel electric-powered mini-tractor prototype that allows the operator to lie face down as it rolls slowly down field rows and perform planting, hand weeding or harvesting tasks. Located in Victoria, Ross Borden is receiving $15,000 to build the machine, named Zero as it requires zero extra bed space to operate and zero bending to plant, weed and harvest. The goal of Zero is to reduce worker fatigue while increasing productivity.
Okanagan-based Geotronics Consulting Inc., in partnership with Vintality Tech Inc., is receiving $192,022 to develop a new technology to reduce irrigation in vineyards. The technology will reduce the amount of water used, while maintaining vine health and grape quality. Using a combination of precision viticulture sensor technology with new developments in wireless and mesh networking, the system will allow real-time tracking of water use through sub-soil mapping. The technology could also be applied to other farmed crops that use automatic watering systems, once validated and commercialized.
Projects under the Canada-British Columbia Agri-Innovation Program have received more than $11.3 million in funding from the Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The partnership is a five-year $3-billion commitment by Canada's federal, provincial and territorial governments that supports Canada's agri-food and agri-product sectors. This includes a $2-billion commitment that is cost-shared 60% federally and 40% provincially/territorially for programs designed and delivered by provinces and territories.
"Our agricultural producers are the first to feel the effects of climate change and, together with many partners, they are strongly committed to developing and adopting tools and practices to make agriculture increasingly sustainable. These projects are prime examples of the kind of leadership they are demonstrating that will help us achieve our emission-reduction targets. I look forward to seeing these innovative ideas spread throughout British Columbia and elsewhere in Canada!" said Marie-Claude Bibeau, federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
"We are seeing innovative and cutting-edge solutions being developed in the B.C. agritech industry, with funding through this program in response to issues such as climate change, labour shortages and food security. The collaboration between technology and agriculture is creating new opportunities for B.C. farmers and helping to grow and strengthen our provincial food system for future generations." stated Lana Popham, B.C.'s Minister of Agriculture and Food.
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Learn More:
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada:
Web: https://agriculture.canada.ca/en
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