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B.C. farmers receive $2M for tech advancements, address labour shortages

Up to $2 million in government funds are being allocated to the On-Farm Technology Adoption Program that aims to improve food security and efficiency on farms across British Columbia.

In a recent press release, the government of Canada and B.C. announced the increase in funds towards farming technologies that will help grow, raise, harvest, pack or store food more effectively and profitability.

The program, funded by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, will fund labour-saving technologies that help address labour shortages and improve processes for labour-intensive tasks.

During the first intake of the program, 54 farms were awarded a total of $2million to help buy new equipment.

The second round of funding will help farmers buy new technologies, such as equipment and robotics that can operate independently and adapt to their environment. Examples are automated weeding equipment and harvesters or machinery that can perform tasks with minimal human interaction, like automated grading and sorting machines.

Applications for this round of funding are open from August 20, to October 6, 2024.

More information on the initiative can be found here.