Funding will soon be available for organizations across the province looking to innovate in the agricultural space.
On Sept. 9, the province announced it’s investing, in partnership with the federal government, $3.5 million in the Ontario Agri-Food Research Initiative (OAFRI) to support the development and adoption of new technologies for farmers, food processors and agri-businesses that will enhance their competitiveness and growth.
The funds come through the five-year, $3.5-billion provincial-territorial-federal Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (Sustainable CAP) program.
Funding for this intake will be provided in the areas of applied research, pilot and demonstration, and knowledge translation and transfer.
More than 100 research and innovation projects and activities have received funding through the last intake, including some from Northern Ontario.
Among the 2023-2024 intake recipients are:
- the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre, for a study maximizing the potential of crops like alfalfa and Sorghum-Sudan grass;
- Algoma University, for a study on enhancing northern horticulture;
- BioNorth Solutions, for its work in microbial soil bioremediation;
- the Northern Ontario Farm Innovation Alliance, for work on how to deal with on-farm plastics; and
- AgriTech North for its research into an innovative thermal system for indoor growing.
The intake for the next round of funding opens on Oct. 15.
