Check here for an update on QuantoTech’s collaboration through the Digital Supercluster projects with i-Open Group.
“Through the AutoAg project, a consortia of partners that also includes QuantoTech, Simon Fraser University, Terramera and Verge Ag are working together to develop the world’s first interactive planning software for precision and autonomous agriculture.”
Read more on the work being done with i-Open Group and the Food and Agriculture Institute:
QuantoTech Grow Bank and Food System Map
“This research explores urban agriculture, vertical farming and controlled-environment agriculture methods to address food system vulnerabilities associated with climate change, farm succession and using conventional agriculture methods.”
QuantoTech Solutions Ltd. designs, manufactures and operates vertical farms to promote food security and sustainability by bringing fresh produce to unconventional climates and under-served communities. Northern Greens is the brand for produce grown with QuantoTech systems.
QuantoTech has teamed up with the University of the Fraser Valley and i-Open Technologies Inc. to explore innovative ways of addressing food system vulnerabilities and increasing resilience in the face of climate change and economic shocks.
Three outcomes to the study
It is clear that the increasing risk of food shortages are on the forefront of peoples’ minds. Vertical farming is one emerging mechanism to help reduce these stresses.
Improving farmers efficiency, reducing emissions and driving to net zero
[February 15, 2022] Vancouver, BC – Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster is proud to announce an investment in the world’s first interactive, operational planning software for autonomous agriculture. The Standard Data Platform for Autonomous Agriculture project is focused on bringing digital technologies and automation to the farm that will help farmers be more efficient, increase their output, lower their costs, and have a positive impact on the environment.
“As our country moves toward net zero, all sectors of the economy understand we must all do our part to get there. For farmers and the agriculture sector, developing digital innovations can lead to greener, faster and more sustainable food production,” said the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry. “With the help of this investment, it’s great to see Canadian innovators coming together with bold and innovative ideas that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, create more green jobs and support sustainable futures for Canadian farmers and families from coast to coast to coast.”
Led by Verge Ag in collaboration with Terramera, i-Open Group, Simon Fraser University and QuantoTech, this project will create a digital twin of a users’ farm to support operational planning and decision-making. The platform will leverage new data sources to help farmers characterize their fields, crops, soil, and environmental factors and combine that with historical farm data to optimize planning, manage costs and maximize net returns.
“We are excited to work with a strong consortium of partners with diverse expertise in geospatial technology, data platform development, computer vision, and artificial intelligence,” said Ryan Johnson, President and CEO, Verge Ag. “As we enter the fourth agricultural revolution, Verge Ag is poised to prepare the next generation of farmers with hyper-efficient, sustainable and autonomous farming solutions. Our ability to link agronomic planning and production to farm operations planning and productivity is just the start.”
The effects of climate change and rapidly increasing operation costs of farms are threatening the livelihood of farmers, and the stability of our food supply chain. By transforming the way food is grown, Canadian farmers are taking a bold step towards boosting agricultural productivity, reducing crop loss, and combatting agricultural greenhouse gas emissions that make up 12% of Canada’s total emissions.
“Canadian farmers rely on cutting-edge science and research to sustainably grow their businesses. Scientific breakthroughs have led to new farming technologies and practices, provided farmers with better crop varieties, and helped protect crops and livestock from pests and diseases. This investment in new digital technologies and agri-food data analytics will help make our agricultural industry even stronger while protecting the environment and opening up new market opportunities for our agri-food businesses,” said the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
The project has a total investment of $10,811,321 with $6,465,377 invested by industry and $4,345,944 co-invested by the Digital Supercluster’s Technology Leadership Program. This project is also supported by the Province of British Columbia through the StrongerBC Agritech Grant program, which focuses on strengthening BC’s economic recovery, agriculture sector and food security by supporting food producers and agritech innovators. Other investment support is being provided by Mitacs.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the global supply chain reinforces the need for innovative solutions to make sure people have access to safe and sustainable food,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. “B.C. is proud to invest in new technology and innovation that will strengthen our food security and builds a stronger, cleaner province that works for more people.”
“We have seen B.C. farmers, engineers and software developers achieve amazing things that increase on-farm production, efficiency and sustainability when they work together,” said B.C. Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Lana Popham. “This platform offers opportunities to do all of those things as well as help guide crop and business decisions that will support B.C.’s food security and food economy.”
“We need to act quickly and ambitiously if we are to meaningfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions in our agriculture sector. That is exactly what is happening in this project. Solutions such as the Standard Data Platform for Autonomous Agriculture project will improve the sustainability of our farming sector, while delivering on the imperative to reduce carbon emissions,” said Sue Paish, CEO of the Digital Technology Supercluster.
More information on the Standard Data Platform for Autonomous Agriculture project can be found here.
Ahead of the curve starts here. The Digital Technology Supercluster is building a better Canada by growing Canadian businesses, creating a digitally skilled workforce and positively impacting lives across our country. We accelerate the development and adoption of digital technologies that keep Canadians healthy, address climate change and drive economic productivity. Through a powerful combination of co-investment, cross-sector collaboration, IP creation and digital talent development, we unlock the potential of Canadians to lead and succeed in the Digital world. For more information, visit: https://www.digitalsupercluster.ca/
For media inquiries, please contact Elysa Darling (edarling@digitalsupercluster.ca) or call 587-890-9833.
The flooding in Abbotsford has been devastating to many of those in the agriculture industry. It really has shown the fragility of our supply chain and the need to protect it against the further devastating effects of climate change. This is unfortunately only the beginning.
QuantoTech has been lucky to have our Chilliwack farm on high grounds adjacent to the worst of the flooding; however, no one from the QuantoTech team is able to access the farm. We are happy to report that all of our automation and monitoring technology has come to use and allowed us to remotely observe the farm while the grow recipes work their magic. We have also teamed up with the neighbouring First Nations to continue planting and harvesting at the QuantoTech farm to keep up a constant supply of leafy greens to the affected community.
QuantoTech Solutions Ltd. operates vertical farms to promote food security and sustainability by bringing fresh produce to unconventional climates and under-served communities.
“In this video, Alycia Van der Gracht, founder of vertical farming company QuantoTech, speaks to why they are 50% more profitable than any other vertical farmers and where they are headed next.”
QuantoTech Solutions Ltd. operates micro farms to promote food security and sustainability by bringing fresh produce to unconventional climates and under-served communities.
QuantoTech Solutions is pursuing multiple urban farming partnerships in three Kazakhstan cities. The QuantoTech team recently traveled to three cities in Kazakhstan to meet potential partners and determine the feasibility of urban farming in Kazakhstan to support local restaurants.
“QuantoTech is branching out to Kazakhstan due to great interest from the Kazakhstan government in Canadian technology as well as an interest in becoming more self-reliant. We’ve teamed up with a strong partner in Kazakhstan to help determine the feasibility of urban farming in Kazakhstan. We have found four other partners interested in hosting urban farming pilot sites. By growing locally in the city, we can drive down prices to our local restaurant customers while significantly increasing quality,” said Alycia van der Gracht, Founder.
QuantoTech Solutions Ltd. is an engineering service company that supplies energy-efficient and environment-friendly LED lighting and grow systems to commercial growers.
QuantoTech Solutions is pursuing a manufacturing partnership in Kazakhstan.
The QuantoTech team recently traveled to three cities in Kazakhstan to meet potential partners and determine the costs of manufacturing and localization directly in Kazakhstan to further support local customers.
“QuantoTech is branching out to Kazakhstan due to great interest from the Kazakhstan government in Canadian technology as well as an interest in becoming more self-reliant. We’ve teamed up with a strong partner in Kazakhstan to help determine the feasibility of manufacturing in Kazakhstan. By completing manufacturing and localization in Kazakhstan we can drive down price to our local customers as well as offer local support,” said Alycia van der Gracht, Founder.
QuantoTech Solutions Ltd. is an engineering service company that supplies energy-efficient and environment-friendly LED lighting and grow systems to commercial growers.
QuantoTech Solutions’ Chairman, Peter van der Gracht, traveled to China alongside the Alacrity Foundation to sign an MOU and further develop Cleantech partnerships in China.
“This March, Richard Egli (Managing Director of Alacrity Canada) and Peter Van der Gracht (Alacrity Senior Mentor and Chairman of Quantotech) joined Henry Wu (Director of Alacrity China) and Siyuan Zao (Cleantech Consultant specializing in China) to represent Alacrity Canada on a trip to Shanghai, Tianjin, and Beijing…”
Alacrity Canada facilitates success and economic growth in the Western Canadian technology sector by providing support and entrepreneurial mentorship to promising entrepreneurs, in addition to finding and connecting these individuals with the venture capital funding needed to develop thriving local tech companies.
QuantoTech Solutions Ltd. is an engineering service company that supplies energy-efficient and environment-friendly LED lighting systems to commercial growers.
QuantoTech Solutions has built a cloud-based, enclosed plant monitoring and control system. The system is being used for a research project that evaluates cost effective sensor solutions that can accurately predict key performance indicators of plant health. This project was made possible with funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
“Providing a cost effective means to quantitatively measure plant health will be beneficial to both large-scale commercial growers as a way to quantitatively measure plant growth and health, as well as, smaller facilities which may not have access to on-site expert knowledge. The software provided in the cloud based system allows for simple visualization of data providing plant growth trends and key performance indicators, and eventually periodic recommendations and automated changes in the plant environment,” said Alycia van der Gracht, Manager of Operations and Supply Chain.
The first experimental crop consisted of microgreens. The imaging and analysis system was able to detect and predict harvest performance within the first 24 hrs of germination. This capability would allow growers to re-plant rather than suffer through a failed harvest.
QuantoTech Solutions is a proud partner of BC’s Digital Technology Supercluster which has been shortlisted for the second phase of the application process for funding through the federal government’s Innovation Supercluster Initiative.
“The consortium is comprised of technology leaders including TELUS, Microsoft Corp., D-Wave, UrtheCast, Finger Food Studios and PHEMI; leading industry players including Teck, TimberWest, LifeLabs and Avcorp; and six post-secondary institutions including BCIT, Emily Carr, SFU, UBC, UNBC and UVic. This past July, the consortium submitted a proposal to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. With more than 50 national applicants, only nine were selected.”
QuantoTech Solutions Ltd. is an engineering service company that supplies energy-efficient and environment-friendly LED lighting systems to commercial growers.
QuantoTech 