Subventions et des contributions :

Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2019-2020).

Agriculture is a vital economic driver in the Okanagan and Shuswap regions of British Columbia. Thisx000D
$450-million industry contributes thousands of jobs to the local economy with many companies, particularlyx000D
small and medium sized enterprises, engaged in various forms of farming practices. As agriculture becomesx000D
increasingly driven by technology and constrained by environmental concerns, farmers are faced with the needx000D
to grow more food in a cost-effective way without cultivating significantly more land. Farmers need help inx000D
overcoming the challenges involved in developing new and innovative technologies to increase productivityx000D
and make their operations more sustainable from an economic perspective. Our proposed applied researchx000D
initiative consists of three projects in the field of agriculture that we wish to undertake initially in collaborationx000D
with two regional companies to increase their business operations and make them more economically viable.x000D
Two of the projects involve research and development into technologies and methods to make year roundx000D
operation of on-the-grid and off-the-grid greenhouses financially sustainable. This will help to reduce thex000D
number of existing on-the-grid greenhouses sitting dormant during colder months and also enable year-roundx000D
off-the-grid greenhouse operation that is cost-effective from a business perspective. The third project involvesx000D
researching and developing an automated control system to ensure efficient air and water management for anx000D
existing mid-sized, vertical-rack hydroponic farm. These interrelated projects will help our industry partnersx000D
make their businesses more economically sustainable and lead to commercialization and technology transferx000D
opportunities that will positively impact local agricultural production.