Due to climate change, the Government of Canada has created initiatives like research on climate change and biodiversity at the Experimental Farm. The Government is also supporting 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.
The Government of Canada announced an investment of up to $600,000 under the Innovative Solutions Canada program for four new projects.
Twenty federal departments have committed a total of $100 million to support Canada’s small business innovators and entrepreneurs, through Innovative Solutions Canada. This program uses the federal government’s purchasing power to help companies scale up and grow their businesses. This investment provides up to $150,000 each to four businesses with exciting 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 biodegrade 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 affordable and fully autonomous crop protection and spraying solutions that will help reduce herbicide and pesticide use as well as operational costs for producers.