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Government funds four projects promoting sustainability in agriculture

The Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada, Catherine McKenna, on behalf of Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Marie-Claude Bibeau, announced an investment of up to $600,000 under the Innovative Solutions Canada program for four new projects solving challenges in the agriculture sector.

Through Innovative Solutions Canada, 20 federal departments, across government, have committed a total of $100 million to support Canada’s small business innovators and entrepreneurs. This program uses the Government of Canada’s purchasing power to help companies scale up and grow their businesses.

The recent announcement provides up to $150,000 each to four businesses with new ideas for solving challenges in the agriculture sector:

• EcoEnviro Labs Inc. will test a new organic bioplastic mulch made from poultry feathers. This is a lower-waste, fully biodegradable and compostable way to produce mulch needed in Canada’s agriculture.
• Titan Clean Energy Projects Corp. will be testing a food-grade quality bioplastic, ideal for fruit or prepared vegetable containers, that biodegrades more quickly, meaning less landfill and more sustainable options for grocery stores and shoppers.
• Troo Corporation will test the viability of their idea for an agricultural ‘Internet of Things’. The smart data hub will collect data from existing farm management tools and bring them together in one place, reducing the research and operational costs for small producers and increasing the adoption of precision agricultural practices; and
• Expert Systems Inc. will be testing a drone-based technology that uses artificial intelligence to provide a more affordable and fully autonomous crop protection and spraying solution that will help reduce herbicide and pesticide use as well as operational costs for producers.

Minister McKenna made the announcement on August 9, following a tour of the Experimental Farm where she met with researchers and discussed their work on environmental sustainability. The funding will support the innovations of small businesses and entrepreneurs who “have bold ideas that can protect our environment and create new sustainable solutions for the agriculture and agri-food sectors.”