Foresight Canada

With its vast amount of arable land and a burgeoning number of agtech ventures, Canada is positioned to lead the world in agri-food technology through greater technology adoption. Foresight Canada, the nation’s foremost cleantech accelerator, plays a crucial role in this movement. With a mission to propel the adoption of world-class cleantech technologies, the non-profit is helping Canada achieve more with less, sustainably.

“Every few months, we dive deep into industry discovery to stay connected with the ecosystem and understand pain points from regional and national perspectives,” says Foresight Canada program manager Bonita Mathew.

Through various acceleration programs, innovation challenges, and sector-specific initiatives, Foresight Canada is breaking silos, increasing collaboration, aligning with stakeholder agendas and focusing on common goals. These efforts are crucial given Canada’s vast geography, which presents numerous challenges, varying by region, province, and territory. One of the NEXT sector-specific initiatives that has garnered significant acclaim is agriNEXT. This program strengthens connections among tech-solution innovators and end-users while driving the adoption of advanced technologies in the agri-food industry.

A critical milestone in agriNEXT’s implementations was when Foresight Canada partnered with the Innovative Farmers Association of Ontario (IFAO) to run the Soil Health and Nutrient Management Challenge in 2022. The innovation challenge focused on improving farmers’ abilities to adopt better nutrient management practices while enhancing soil health, a critical aspect of agri-food.

Picketa Systems, an agriNEXT venture, was selected as the winner for their groundbreaking innovation, the Leaf-Evaluated Nutrient System (LENS). This system eliminates the need to send crop samples to a lab by providing real-time plant nutrient content analysis seconds after a scan is initiated, enabling farmers to make swift, data-driven fertilizer decisions. Picketa Systems received up to $20,000 to test the LENS solution through three-year pilot projects on three or more IFAO-run Ontario farms, covering around a thousand acres of production. This opportunity allowed Picketa Systems to kickstart their solution, and they have since gained several international clients.

Continuing its momentum, Foresight Canada is currently collaborating with the IFAO on a second innovation challenge, seeking agtech solutions to enhance decision-making and analysis for field crop farmers. The innovation challenge aims to optimize soil health, profitability, and sustainability. Foresight Canada has received significant interest from numerous agtech ventures, highlighting the initiative’s ongoing impact and relevance within the agriculture and agtech ecosystems. Foresight Canada also proactively safeguards farmers’ integration into the technological revolution by equipping them with essential network connections and strategic support opportunities for growth and skills development.

Bridging the Gaps in Agriculture

Beyond individual success stories, the broader vision of Foresight Canada’s agriNEXT program is about bringing systemic change to the agriculture sector. By convening government representatives, innovators, investors, and farmers, it identifies needs and challenges and collaborates on solutions to increase productivity, food security, and sustainability. Through Foresight Canada’s NEXT initiatives, Foresight Canada offers a comprehensive platform for cleantech solutions, supporting the industry and government in achieving their sustainability objectives. Its efforts to streamline regulatory frameworks and enhance rural infrastructure are crucial steps in this direction.

The regulatory landscape, in particular, poses a significant hurdle as agriculture is heavily regulated, with policies varying across federal, provincial, and municipal levels. Navigating this complex web can be costly and time-consuming for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Foresight Canada is actively working to advocate for more efficient regulatory processes, ensuring that innovative solutions can be tested, validated, and adopted more smoothly.

Foresight Canada’s efforts extend beyond immediate problem-solving. The organization supports the entire sector through initiatives like Ventures to Value Chains reports(V2VC), which are part of its effort to map and analyze critical industry value chains in Canada’s agri-food sector. The V2VC agtech reports highlight the connections between livestock, biomass, and agricultural inputs through processing stages to consumer markets and environmental impacts. They provide crucial insights into technology innovation, market strengths, and growth opportunities. Widely shared with industry leaders, governments, and investors, the report helps agtech ventures understand and break into new markets effectively.

Catalyzing Technology Adoption and Setting New Standards

Four strategic pillars are central to Foresight Canada’s strategy such as redefining acceleration, catalyzing adoption, strengthening networks, and modelling excellence. By setting new standards for accelerators, integrating industry partnerships, and advocating for enhanced tech deployment, the non-profit is reshaping the landscape of cleantech and agtech in Canada. For instance, its Cleantech Adoption Platform (CAP) offers a comprehensive resource for industry and government to meet sustainability goals, streamlining the process for buyers and innovators.

Foresight Canada’s agriNEXT goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Canada’s agri-food sector by 50 per cent by 2030. With agriculture currently accounting for approximately 10 per cent of the country’s total emissions, this target is challenging and essential. Through concerted efforts to support ventures, foster collaboration, and remove barriers to tech adoption, Foresight Canada is set to drive significant change.

The role of Foresight Canada and initiatives like agriNEXT will be crucial in helping Canada reach net zero. The non-profit confronts challenges by uniting top-tier expertise with groundbreaking solutions, charting a course toward a profoundly sustainable agricultural future.