Ottawa backs SmartGRO indoor farming light research

The federal government has awarded SmartGRO Bioengineering up to CAD $894,673 for indoor agriculture lighting research.

SmartGRO, a Calgary startup, is developing a system that combines pulsing LED lights with plant sensors and artificial intelligence. The sensors collect data on temperature, plant health and growth, and the software adjusts lighting conditions in response.

Its lights switch on and off at very high speed rather than remaining continuously lit, a method intended to improve how plants use light during photosynthesis. In controlled tests, plants grown under the system produced the same harvest weight as those under standard LED lighting while using up to 80 per cent less electricity.

The support comes through the Agricultural Clean Technology Program's Research and Innovation Stream. It will fund the development and testing of lighting designed to reduce electricity use in year-round indoor growing. Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Heath MacDonald announced the funding during a visit to Hydragreens Produce in Calgary.

Hydragreens Produce is hosting commercial-scale trials of the system at its Calgary greenhouse and is investing CAD $916,197 in the project. 

Several other partners across Canada are also involved, including the University of Windsor, Ontario's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, Lambton College, H&A Mastronardi Farms and Freeman Herbs.

The investment adds to a broader federal push into controlled-environment agriculture. Ottawa recently outlined a National Food Security Strategy worth CAD $3.2 billion over 10 years, including CAD $750 million for greenhouses, vertical farms and other enclosed growing operations aimed at expanding domestic fruit and vegetable production.

The Agricultural Clean Technology Program is intended to help farmers and agribusinesses develop and adopt technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Across Canada, the program has announced 535 projects so far, with total funding of more than CAD $314 million. The SmartGRO award places indoor agriculture within that broader effort to lower energy use in food production while maintaining output.

Energy remains one of the main cost pressures in greenhouses and indoor farms, especially for operations that rely on artificial lighting through winter or in fully enclosed environments. Lighting systems are also a major factor in the economics of vertical farming, where operators in some markets have struggled to balance high input costs with stable food production.

Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, linked the award to the government's effort to support lower-emission agricultural technology.

"Canadian agri-businesses are leading the way in creating innovative solutions to reduce emissions and build a more resilient agricultural sector. With support from the ACT - Research and Innovation Stream, SmartGRO can develop new technology that has the potential to help Canadian farmers grow more food while using less electricity," said MacDonald.

The SmartGRO project is intended to support more efficient indoor food production in Canada by reducing electricity demand without lowering harvest weight.