A community greenhouse can strengthen local food production, extend growing seasons and reduce dependence on distant supply chains. However, the building itself does not create food security. Someone still has to operate it, choose the right crops, find markets, maintain the equipment, manage labour and produce food at a cost the community or customer can … Read more

Indoor farming cost is often reduced to one question: How much does it cost to grow one head of lettuce? It sounds simple. It is not. Although, a head of lettuce may use only a small quantity of seed, fertilizer and water, but those inputs sit inside a much larger production system. Lights need electricity. … Read more

Growers often discuss greenhouse water consumption using simple percentages, but no single number applies to every facility. Crop type, climate, irrigation strategy, growing system, water treatment and—most importantly—whether water is recirculated can dramatically change how much fresh water a greenhouse requires. Hydroponic water usage can be substantially lower than conventional field production because hydroponic systems … Read more

Data centre waste heat greenhouse projects are gaining attention as growers look for ways to improve greenhouse energy efficiency and reduce heating demand. By recovering heat that data centres would otherwise reject, co-located greenhouse projects may be able to turn an industrial waste stream into a useful source of thermal energy. What If a Greenhouse … Read more

Controlled environment agriculture often treats scale as the route to competitiveness. Build a larger greenhouse. Automate more processes. Spread management, technology and infrastructure costs across more production. There is logic behind that approach. Large producers can negotiate major purchasing contracts, supply national retailers, invest in sophisticated technology and operate dedicated sales and distribution teams. However, … Read more

For a few years, vertical farming looked like one of agriculture’s biggest technology stories. Investors poured money into automated indoor farms promising year-round production, higher yields, less land, reduced water use, shorter supply chains, and precise environmental control. The technology was impressive. The financial results were much less consistent. PitchBook reported that indoor-farming startups attracted … Read more

Canada’s greenhouse industry has historically centred on Southern Ontario, British Columbia’s Fraser Valley, and parts of Quebec. Alberta sits well outside that traditional greenhouse map. That may be starting to matter less. Modern greenhouse development depends on more than outdoor temperature. Energy availability, water, logistics, land, labour, automation, market access, and infrastructure all influence whether … Read more

Canada’s greenhouse industry is growing. The more interesting question is where that growth should happen next. For decades, Canadian greenhouse production has concentrated in a relatively small number of regions—particularly Southern Ontario, British Columbia’s Fraser Valley, and parts of Quebec. There are good reasons for that concentration. These regions combine established greenhouse expertise, transportation infrastructure, … Read more

Building the Greenhouse Is Only Half the Project We can engineer a sophisticated commercial greenhouse. That includes specifying the structure, HVAC equipment, irrigation system, fertigation equipment, lighting, sensors, environmental controls, and automation. It also involves modeling capital costs, developing construction schedules, and coordinating contractors. But there is another question that deserves just as much attention: … Read more

Building Food Security Through Infrastructure, Not Just Production Canada’s National Food Security Strategy marks an important shift in how food security is being discussed across the country. While food security conversations have traditionally focused on increasing agricultural production, there is growing recognition that production alone is only one part of the solution. In reality, a … Read more