Calgary Economic Development and Olds College have created a unique business partnership to develop an agri-food corridor north of the city in hopes of growing sustainable food production through innovative, cutting-edge technologies.
While the 100-kilometre stretch of mostly farmland already has dozens of farms and sustainable agri-food businesses — from indoor shrimp production to insect-based protein manufacturing — the partnership aims to create thousands more businesses in the next several years.
Officials at Wednesday’s announcement of the Calgary-Olds Smart Agri-Food Corridor signed a memorandum of understanding, hoping to leverage Calgary’s global corporate presence and distribution hub with Olds College’s applied research and integrated learning.
“Agriculture in Alberta has a rich history and a stellar reputation globally,” said Mary Moran, president and CEO of Calgary Economic Development. “With our track record for quality and food safety, we have the opportunity to play a much bigger role in feeding the world. Alberta already exports agriculture and food products to 140 countries, and we can be an even more significant contributor to the global ecosystem.”
The corridor will provide companies and entrepreneurs access to a world-class agriculture environment that supports the development and scaling of new technologies throughout the production chain.
“Today, more than ever before, agriculture and food producers are looking to technology and science to optimize their operations,” said Stuart Cullum, president of Olds College. “Through the creation of the Calgary-Olds Smart Agri-Food Corridor, we will establish a strong regional position that will attract agriculture entrepreneurs, start-up companies and technology developers.”
Keith Driver, president of Driver Projects, which already runs four agri-food businesses within the corridor, says businesses within the area have huge amounts of expertise in a variety of areas, from production, to farming, to containment and shipping, yet they do not partner as much as they could.
He added that the province’s economic downturn is also offering agri-food businesses access to generous, affordable warehouse spaces left behind after overbuilding during boom times.
And as agri-food becomes critically important on a global scale, with the expectation that sustainable food production will have to grow by at least 75 per cent over the next 30 years, the opportunities for this sector are boundless, Driver argued.
“This is one of the best times to be in this business,” Driver said.
“We’re seeing huge growth in sales here, and we are seeing investors from as far as the Middle East, Asia, investing in our agriculture.
“They want and will need food security. And we have resources that the world wants, that can be moved, that can be shipped.”
The corridor is also expected to help diversify the economy of the Calgary region, still suffering amid low oil prices, and will also better position Calgary and Olds to play a key role in the Government of Canada’s proposed Smart Agri-Food Supercluster.
Source : Calgary Herald