Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada officially launch CGEN at the February 14th Canadian Greenhouse Excellence Network Summit

Ottawa, Canada - The inaugural Canadian Greenhouse Excellence Network Summit has come to a successful conclusion after a full day of thought-provoking discussions and workshops. The Summit, an initiative of the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC), brought together experts and stakeholders from various fields, including greenhouse vegetable growers, allied industry and solution providers, government, and academia to explore new ideas at the intersection of climate change, food security, economic growth and trade.

The CGEN Summit was a platform to inform the design of the network based on a strong public-private model, or central hub that aims to provide expertise and better ways to connect, collaborate, validate, and commercialize from the basis of grower-identified challenges and opportunities. Attendees had the opportunity to hear a Roundtable report from the CGEN PowerHour sessions which took in 100 participants over 100+ days of powerful stakeholder engagement, as well as hear from leading experts and participate in interactive discussions, workshops, and networking sessions.

Parliamentary Secretary, Francis Drouin, MP of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, officially opened the Summit, providing a brief address pointing at the sector's initiative as a positive model to help achieve Canada's targets and ensure that Canada continues to be recognized as a world leader in sustainable agriculture and agri-food production.

“For the last year, CGEN has been driven by the need for a unique roadmap for the greenhouse vegetable sector,” said Linda Delli Santi, Chair of the FVGC Greenhouse Vegetable Working Group. “Canadian greenhouse vegetable growers are dedicated to excellence and are known for their early adoption of new technology and sustainable practices. CGEN will help bring stakeholders together to ensure that the greenhouse vegetable industry can be successful in the future while also supporting GHG emissions reduction targets and promoting food security for all Canadians.”

Jan VanderHout, President of FVGC, added, “CGEN is an excellent opportunity for Government to collaborate with the Canadian greenhouse sector to encourage ongoing investment in our thriving sector.”

"The Canadian Greenhouse Excellence Network Summit was a resounding success," said Rebecca Lee, Executive Director of FVGC.  "The summit provided a unique platform to engage with senior public officials as partners, and we are confident that CGEN will result in a strong Canadian approach, ready to bridge the gap between today’s realities, emerging research and technologies, and the policies, resources, and investments required for implementation.”

Dr. Rupp Carriveau, Director of the Environmental Energy Institute brings unique expertise and a passion for the sector, that FVGC’s greenhouse vegetable working group has identified as critical to mobilizing CGEN. “We are at an interesting intersection in Canadian food production, and the issues, such as food security, climate action, and economic growth, cannot be managed in isolation,” said Dr. Carriveau.  “CGEN will enable an entire network of stakeholders to work collaboratively to find new, practical and impactful solutions for the greenhouse vegetable sector.”

CGEN is an initiative of the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada, and it has had the full support of the greenhouse vegetable working group that hosted the event. FVGC would like to thank all attendees, speakers, and sponsors for their participation and support in making the summit a success. FVGC looks forward to continuing its efforts to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and innovation in the greenhouse industry.

For more information on the Canadian Greenhouse Excellence Network, please visit https://www.environmentalenergyinstitute.com/cgen

The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada (FVGC) represents growers across the country involved in the production of over 120 different types of crops on over 14,237 farms, with a farm gate value of $5.9 billion in 2021. FVGC is an Ottawa-based voluntary, not-for-profit, national association, and, since 1922, has advocated on important issues that impact Canada’s fresh produce sector, promoting healthy, safe, and sustainable food, ensuring the continued success and growth of the industry.