Olds College to train students for jobs in controlled environment agriculture as industry prepares for future growth
Companies using high-tech methods to raise everything from vegetables and fruit to insects and fish within indoor facilities will be joining forces to accelerate the sector’s growth in Alberta.
The Controlled Environment Agriculture Association of Alberta is expected to become operational in Calgary by September, said Richard Gibson, co-founder of Planetary Harvest Vertical Farms Inc.
“We’ve been studying wheat for 6,000 years,” he said.
“Controlled environment agriculture (CEA) has only been around for maybe 10 years, so there’s a lot to learn. Experience is one of those things you gain right after you needed it, so our goal here is basically to share experiences and put it all together and just de-risk the sector, not only for the producers, but also for the retailers and the investors so that we have a viable sector here and in Canada.”
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The sector includes vertical farming, which is using technologies such as computers, LED lighting and sensors to grow plants inside facilities ranging from large warehouses to repurposed shipping containers, said Gibson. It was sparked by NASA’s research into feeding astronauts during long-distance space missions by using plant science and environmental control techniques to optimize plant growth inside enclosed spaces, he said.
However, the sector also includes other technologies such as aquaculture, which is used to raise fish indoors, he said.
“For the association, we’re looking at plants, mushrooms, fish and insects as part of food and food components that can be produced inside a controlled environment agriculture space.”
The push to create the association is occurring as Olds College develops a three-year initiative to train students in the horticulture side of CEA, said vice-president of development Todd Ormann. The new certificate program in CEA will be launched in September 2024, with the inaugural class to consist of 15 to 20 people.
The RBC Foundation is providing $150,000 for the initiative, which will also pay for research and new infrastructure that will benefit 1,880 students, he said.
“RBC aims to provide students with hands-on learning experiences, and they’re looking at it from an economic development perspective about where agriculture has to be going forward in the future, so this is a bit of RBC investing in the future of agriculture, students and an industry.”
Weather extremes ranging from drought to flooding linked to climate change are increasingly threatening the supply of fresh produce from areas such as California that Canadians rely on, especially during times of the year such as winter when crops can’t be grown locally outside, he said.
“When you think of it right now, we roughly import about a billion dollars’ worth of vegetables, herbs and berries into Alberta, and what a lot of people are forecasting is a continued challenge on this front.”
Growing more food within Alberta will also boost sustainability by reducing greenhouse gas emissions created by transporting produce thousands of kilometres, said Ormann.
Alberta offers several advantages for companies seeking to create their own niche within CEA, said Gibson.
“And the challenges that we see right now are primarily in the cost of operation and that’s in the form of energy input, but with the resources that Alberta has here in terms of technology development for renewables like solar, wind, geothermal and biomass, I think that would really kickstart the CEA sector here in Alberta.”
Because much of the province’s food must be shipped from elsewhere, it also makes the sector more competitive in terms of cost for local companies to grow a wide range of products, he said.
“I would say that within the next five years, CEA would be a fairly common term that people would recognize.”
Gibson’s own startup company, Planetary Harvest Vertical Farms, plans to target remote northern communities that face challenges with food security because of high transportation costs. Besides providing fresh, locally grown food, the firm will also create opportunities for jobs and education, he said.
Ormann expected there could eventually be 30 to 60 CEA operations in Alberta, although it is difficult to predict how long it might take.
However, Gibson didn’t expect the sector will overtake conventional agriculture, which is more effective at affordably growing crops such as wheat, barley and canola on large scales. CEA is focusing on high-value products such as lettuce, leafy greens, herbs, root crops, and fruit like strawberries, he said.
