An Alberta college noted for its cutting-edge smart farm plans to launch the first certificate program of its kind in Canada for indoor agriculture.
There is a rising demand for skilled workers who can go beyond traditional horticulture to use advanced technologies, such as automation and robotics, said Jay Steeves, dean of the Werklund School of Agriculture Technology at Olds College.
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The four-month Indoor Agriculture Certificate program will start in September 2024 with a class of 30 to 40 people, said Steeves. It is partly being funded by RBC under a commitment of $150,000 made to the college earlier this year to promote research and innovation in controlled environment agriculture.
Potential students could range from mid-career industry professionals looking to upgrade their skills to young, environmentally conscious urban people who don’t come from a farming background, said Steeves.
“This might be a nice way for people to get their foot in the door with agriculture,” he said.
“If they see agriculture and broadacre farming and they’re not sure how they fit in that type of world, we think this provides an opportunity for people of all ages to get involved with it, especially on smaller scales, but still be very productive when it comes to where the food is produced.”
Indoor or controlled environment agriculture ranges from traditional greenhouses to the high-tech, warehouse-like facilities of vertical farming that use things such as LED lighting and automation to grow plants, said Steeves. The rise of the industry in Alberta is being driven by concerns ranging from soaring grocery bills to the need to sustainably raise fresh local produce year-round in the face of climate change, he said.
Investments include a major, $56-million expansion into Western Canada by GoodLeaf Farms that was announced in 2021. The company constructed a 96,000-sq.-foot facility to grow baby and micro greens in Calgary, which it said will be the largest indoor vertical farming operation of its kind in Canada.
The Controlled Environment Agriculture Association of Alberta was recently formed to promote the growth of the sector. The industry ranges from vegetable and fruit growers to operations that raise insects and fish within indoor facilities.
Olds College includes the 3,600-acre Smart Farm, which is a working farm that is part of a national network that evaluates and demonstrates advanced farming technologies. Other initiatives by the college include a four-year bachelor of digital agriculture degree program that is the first in Canada.
The new Indoor Agriculture Certificate program will be headquartered in the college’s Werklund School of Agriculture Technology, said Steeves. The facility includes a hands-on lab with an open bay that can be used to bring in large equipment, along with a lab that includes robotics and 3D printers, he said.
“And then the furthest lab is the green lab, which is actually fully climate controlled and has the ability for humidity and lights, and all kinds of things… the way we look at it is we can use these three labs in combination with each other to look at different projects around indoor ag and provide different solutions to it.”
However, the program will offer a mix of online and campus courses, said Steeves. The goal is to provide more flexibility to students while giving them hands-on experience by working on projects in the labs.
Students will also be able to undertake an optional field placement following the completion of their required courses, said a statement by the college. It will allow them to “explore controlled environment agriculture systems based on your specific area of interest and enhance your industry-specific knowledge and skills.”
