Reference number : GC-2017-Q4-00474, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Dietze, Beverlie (Okanagan College), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : British Columbia|Colombie-Britannique, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Innovation Enhancement Grants - Entry Level, program name french : Subventions de renforcement de l'innovation - niveau d'entrée, program purpose english : Agriculture is a vital economic driver in the Okanagan and Shuswap regions of British Columbia. This_x000D_
$450-million industry contributes thousands of jobs to the local economy with many companies, particularly_x000D_
small and medium sized enterprises, engaged in various forms of farming practices. As agriculture becomes_x000D_
increasingly driven by technology and constrained by environmental concerns, farmers are faced with the need_x000D_
to grow more food in a cost-effective way without cultivating significantly more land. Farmers need help in_x000D_
overcoming the challenges involved in developing new and innovative technologies to increase productivity_x000D_
and make their operations more sustainable from an economic perspective. Our proposed applied research_x000D_
initiative consists of three projects in the field of agriculture that we wish to undertake initially in collaboration_x000D_
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 round_x000D_
operation of on-the-grid and off-the-grid greenhouses financially sustainable. This will help to reduce the_x000D_
number of existing on-the-grid greenhouses sitting dormant during colder months and also enable year-round_x000D_
off-the-grid greenhouse operation that is cost-effective from a business perspective. The third project involves_x000D_
researching and developing an automated control system to ensure efficient air and water management for an_x000D_
existing mid-sized, vertical-rack hydroponic farm. These interrelated projects will help our industry partners_x000D_
make their businesses more economically sustainable and lead to commercialization and technology transfer_x000D_
opportunities that will positively impact local agricultural production., program purpose french : Agriculture is a vital economic driver in the Okanagan and Shuswap regions of British Columbia. This_x000D_
$450-million industry contributes thousands of jobs to the local economy with many companies, particularly_x000D_
small and medium sized enterprises, engaged in various forms of farming practices. As agriculture becomes_x000D_
increasingly driven by technology and constrained by environmental concerns, farmers are faced with the need_x000D_
to grow more food in a cost-effective way without cultivating significantly more land. Farmers need help in_x000D_
overcoming the challenges involved in developing new and innovative technologies to increase productivity_x000D_
and make their operations more sustainable from an economic perspective. Our proposed applied research_x000D_
initiative consists of three projects in the field of agriculture that we wish to undertake initially in collaboration_x000D_
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 round_x000D_
operation of on-the-grid and off-the-grid greenhouses financially sustainable. This will help to reduce the_x000D_
number of existing on-the-grid greenhouses sitting dormant during colder months and also enable year-round_x000D_
off-the-grid greenhouse operation that is cost-effective from a business perspective. The third project involves_x000D_
researching and developing an automated control system to ensure efficient air and water management for an_x000D_
existing mid-sized, vertical-rack hydroponic farm. These interrelated projects will help our industry partners_x000D_
make their businesses more economically sustainable and lead to commercialization and technology transfer_x000D_
opportunities that will positively impact local agricultural production., agreement title english : Innovation in Hydroponics and Greenhouses to Support Sustainable Agriculture, agreement title french : Innovation in Hydroponics and Greenhouses to Support Sustainable Agriculture, agreement number : CCIPE, agreement value : 200000.0, agreement start date : 2018-03-07, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2019-2020)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2019-2020)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada