Indoor growing could feed Canadians — and others — year-round
Whether it was pandemic-driven supply chain delays, a war in Europe causing grain prices to spike or flooding in British Columbia disrupting rail lines and highways, the past two and a half years have shone a light on how vulnerable Canada’s food system
By Canadian Press
October 28, 2022,
Excerpt:
Urban agriculture has been gaining traction, often using hydroponic technology to produce hyper-local food.
Paul Shumlich, whose Calgary-based company Deepwater Farms grows a variety of greens, saw first-hand the role urban farms can play in the food system: his company’s sales spiked last fall when a flood in British Columbia closed some parts of Highway 1.
And in remote areas of Canada, there is an increasing number of year-round growing projects in Indigenous communities. One example is a geothermal greenhouse in Potlotek First Nation on Cape Breton Island, funded as one of several pilot projects in Indigenous communities in Atlantic Canada.
Greenhouse manager John Lameman hopes the greenhouse, along with some outside growing space, bee hives and even a potential orchard, could one day reliably feed the community.
In the short run, greens and berries grown year-round are more of a premium product, said von Massow. But he believes they will become more competitive.
“Both technology and climate change are extending the growing season in Canada,” he said.
The capital cost of starting or expanding greenhouse or other alternative farming infrastructure is high, said von Massow, and variable costs, especially energy, are also high — and recent months have shown just how unpredictable those costs can be.
Of course, energy is also a high variable cost for imported foods because of transportation, he said.
