LETHBRIDGE, AB – A new greenhouse project, right here in southern Alberta, is getting a substantial funding boost.
Results Driven Agriculture, which is a non-profit organization funded by the federal and provincial governments, is providing $783,000 to Lethbridge College and Sunterra Greenhouse.
They’ve partnered up in an effort to optimize the growing conditions for pre-commercial and commercial-scale production of strawberries and tomatoes on the vine.
Greenhouse-grown vegetables are a billion dollar industry in Canada with Alberta contributing roughly $118 million in sales in 2020 – a more than 200 per cent increase from 2016.
And, officials say the current demand for fresh, locally grown produce exceeds supply in a market that relies on Mexican and US imports for most of the year.
“Supporting local, sustainable food production by empowering research will improve the food we eat, the air we breathe and will bring vital jobs to communities in rural Alberta. This project is a great example of two organizations working together to improve greenhouse yields in Alberta and demonstrate production practices for the growth of Alberta’s greenhouse sector.” – Clinton Dobson, Research Director, RDAR
The college’s greenhouse research is done in Brooks while Sunterra’s commercial greenhouse operation is in Acme northeast of Calgary.
