As climate change disrupts farming and threatens food security, Canadian agriculture-technology companies are finding innovative ways to help with adaptation., 8.7 million Canadians – almost one in four – live in food-insecure households. Climate change is expected to exacerbate that problem, affecting growing seasons and production patterns in some regions, and damaging crops through extreme heat, flooding and prolonged drought.That was the problem Benjamin Feagin Jr.
AgriTech North pivoted to a “living labs” model, using the operating farm as a test bed for new vertical-farming technology. It began designing less expensive greenhouse exterior technology, a thermal and climate-management system to improve the interaction between air conditioners and dehumidifiers in vertical farms, and software for managing complex food systems in remote communities.
Verdi hopes to make farms – and food systems – more efficient, precise and climate-resilient by automating aging farming structures, such as irrigation systems, with software and intelligent devices, Mr. Chen says. “Think of it like transforming the legacy equipment on a farm into smart systems capable of making decisions.”Arthur Chen, CEO and co-founder of Verdi, writes ideas for a meeting onto a glass pane window in their Vancouver office on May 31, 2024.But you still need the carbon dioxide.
Verdi works with some of the largest international growers of fruits, nuts and vegetables as well as major vineyards. “It doesn’t matter what they’re growing, as long as the outdated tools that they’re currently using are the same, we can attach to what’s already there and make it more efficient,” Mr. Chen says.Bug Mars, based in Havelock, Ont., is innovating in a different realm of agriculture: insect farming.