Wanted: Farmers interested in innovation

Canada’s leading agri-tech alliance is looking for farmers from across the country to join its new farmer innovation advisory group.

Bioenterprise Canada has launched the nationwide initiative as one of the first follow-up activities to stem from its National Call to Action report on innovation released late last year.

Why it matters

The gap between farmers and innovators is identified as one of the biggest barriers to advancing agri-food innovation in Canada.

The report is based on a series of national round table consultations with a wide range of stakeholders, including farmers’ organizations, on what is needed to elevate Canada to an agri-food innovation superpower. It contains key findings and strategic recommendations to improve agri-food productivity and competitiveness while supporting innovation.

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Dave Smardon, CEO of Bioenterprise Canada, says it became very clear a significant gap between the developers of ag-based innovation and the farmers that could ultimately use and adopt such innovations exists.

“It became very apparent that this disconnect had to be rectified, so the creation of the Farmer Innovation Advisory Group is designed to embrace the farming community and engage with them in the development of innovation at the earliest of opportunities – thereby making the farmers an integral part of the innovation ecosystem,” he says.

During the round tables, farmers expressed frustration at not being able to know where to go to learn about the latest innovations in the sector and that often, innovations that are brought forward haven’t been developed or tested with relevant farmer input.

At the same time, entrepreneurs struggle with how to best reach farmers, whether it’s to discover what challenges they need to have solved on the farm, get feedback on ideas or to help test or pilot a promising innovation to see how it performs in a real farm setting.

Bioenterprise is looking for farmers from all regions of the country to be part of this advisory group so innovators and other stakeholders can get a better understanding of farming challenges and solutions that could help on the farm.

It’s also a networking opportunity for farmers, entrepreneurs and others to get to know each other – a lack of connectivity was also identified in the report as a significant barrier.

Ultimately, organizers hope the panel will yield opportunities for farmers and innovators to work together to pilot cutting-edge solutions from across the country.

According to Bioenterprise, agri-tech innovation is a broad field and means different things to different segments of the industry, from precision planting technology and soil amendments to ingredient extraction and sensor-based management.

That’s why the organization is hoping to attract members from across the sector for its advisory group.

Participation in the panel is wide open, but they are particularly looking for representation from the farming sector: grains, oilseeds, livestock, greenhouse and horticulture, fruits and vegetables and specialty crops.

As well, they’re seeking farm advisors of all kinds as well as agri-tech enthusiasts to join the group.

Similar types of initiatives exist on a regional scale in different parts of the country already that have proven to be very successful.

In British Columbia, for example, Agribusiness Advisors hosts a Dragon’s Den-style event for the greenhouse industry where entrepreneurs are invited to present their innovations to an audience of growers. This helps expose their technologies to the industry, build networks between growers and innovators, and helps growers see potential solutions in the works for their sector.

Saskatchewan-based Cultivator has a farmer panel component in each cohort of its agtech accelerator program so that innovators don’t just work with mentors and business advisors but can also get direct input from farmers.

Cultivator also runs what it calls the Million Acres project that brings farmers and entrepreneurs together to share insights and expertise around agri-food innovation. The goal is to connect participants from across North America who will collectively represent a million acres of farmland.

To apply to be part of the Bioenterprise Farmer Innovation Advisory Group, visit Bioenterprise.ca.