Delta, B.C. (Rural Roots Canada) — New technology and training programs are helping strengthen British Columbia’s food security and agriculture sector as a whole through a smart-farming project and drought-resilient crop production training.
Delta-based Windset Farms, with support from the B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation (BCCAI) is developing a smart-farming system that uses sensors to monitor plant stress and automate greenhouse crop management.
The system applies advanced data analytics and machine learning to improve production by optimizing climate control, nutrient uptake and early disease detection in hydroponic tomatoes.
“This partnership helps us develop advanced smart-farming systems that improve real-time greenhouse monitoring, optimize climate and nutrient management, and detect potential plant disease earlier,” said Tony Kalf, chief technology officer at Windset Farms. “These innovations allow us to make meaningful impacts through job creation, new business opportunities and by ensuring the security and stability of B.C.’s food supply. By optimizing the growing environment, we can create efficiencies while minimizing resource use, allowing us to consistently grow high-quality produce year-round.”
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The project is being carried out with Simon Fraser University, Koidra, Vivent, and Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands. It follows a 2023 agreement between SFU and Wageningen to collaborate on research into sustainable food production and climate challenges.
Meanwhile, Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) is also developing a new training program to help farmers adopt drought-resilient crop production methods.
The program will teach dry farming, an approach that uses agro-ecological practices to grow crops with little or no additional water, through a collaboration involving the Ministry of Agriculture and Food’s Regional Extension Program, KPU’s Institute for Sustainable Food Systems, local farmers and industry groups.
“BCCAI’s support, along with the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food, enables us to establish collaborative dry-farming extension, applied research and demonstration projects on three farms,” said Kent Mullinix, director of KPU’s Institute for Sustainable Food Systems. “We’re engaging dozens of farmers, professionals and students on soil health, agro-ecology, soil and weather data collection, and advancing drought-resilient farming.”
Together, the smart-farming and drought-resilient crop initiatives aim to strengthen B.C.’s food systems by combining innovation, research and hands-on training to help producers adapt to a changing climate and ensure a stable local food supply.
