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Agritech in B.C. receives $2 million investment
February 22, 2024 By Top Crop Manager
Announced at the 2024 Pacific Agriculture Show in Abbotsford, B.C., 13 new projects received a $2 million investment, including $658,000 from the B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation (BCCAI), which is matched by industry.
These projects will focus on solving critical challenges facing food producers, including soil health, pest and pathogen management, as well as supporting Indigenous food sovereignty and creating more training opportunities in agritech to build a more sustainable economy.
The funding includes a $288,000 project with BW Global Structures Incorporated for its project that will pioneer innovative methods to grow new, high-value, outdoor field crops within its cutting-edge and purpose-built sealed greenhouses.
“Our work addresses the very serious food, energy and water security issues facing B.C. and Canada, including remote and First Nations communities,” says Timothy D. Kendrick president and chief designer, BW Global. “With the support from BCCAI and the B.C. and federal governments, we believe that BW Global can quickly deploy these world-class technology solutions to every part of the world.”
The project aims to adapt outdoor plant varieties for greenhouse conditions and to develop optimized cultivation techniques for their intensive year-round production leading to more B.C.-grown food and approximately 16 new jobs in Abbotsford.
Other projects supported by the BCCAI include learning opportunities through organizations such as the B.C. Agricultural Climate Action Research Network (ACARN), which will help food producers be more sustainable and resilient to climate change, and Simon Fraser University’s School of Mechatronic Systems Engineering where people will receive hands-on learning experience through a six-day workshop working with agritech and creating new employable skills.
