A team led by Simon Fraser University plant genomics researcher Jim Mattsson is taking its research on greenhouse grown berries to the next level with a $5 million grant from the Weston Family Foundation.
The grant will support the scaling up of a production system fine-tuned during a previous phase of the Homegrown Innovation Challenge, a $33 million program the foundation launched in 2022 to spur agritech innovation and reduce Canada’s reliance on imports.
Mattsson’s team includes Chilliwack-based startup BeriTech Inc., as well as Bergen Farms of Abbotsford and Fenwick Berry Farm of Niagara. Researchers from UBC as well as industry suppliers such as Fall Creek Nursery are also involved.
“Simon Fraser University and BeriTech Inc. are advancing a high-intensity, multi-berry production system designed to deliver delicious, nutritious fruit year-round,” a project description says.
Through the manipulation of plant physiology and carefully timed cropping cycles within a tightly controlled greenhouse environment, including the intercropping of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, the team hopes to maximize yields and achieve an economically viable production model.
“Throughout the scaling phase, the team will work closely with leading growers and other partners to test and commercialize their system in multiple Canadian climatic regions,” the project description states.
SFU’s project was chosen to advance to the final stage of the program from 11 participants in the second stage, which included a strawberry production initiative at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Langley.
KPU’s project incorporated robotics and artificial intelligence with a view to future-proofing the food system.
Participants in the second stage each received $1 million.
The initial phase included 15 projects that received $50,000 each to develop teams and proposals for participation in the second phase.
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