Victoria/Fraser Valley – The Province is launching a Regenerative Agriculture and Agritech Network (RAAN) that will help farmers adopt the latest technology to increase profitability and environmental sustainability, while strengthening the provincial food system.
For more information and registration details for the RegenBC conference, email: RAAN@gov.bc.ca
To help advance and inform the establishment of the RAAN, the Province will be hosting a virtual agriculture and agritech conference, RegenBC, from Sept. 28-30, 2021. The conference will feature guest speakers and presentations from local and international experts in the private sector and academia, and farmers who are focusing on the adoption of agritech and regenerative agriculture.
Regenerative Agriculture and Agritech Network
The Province is establishing the Regenerative Agriculture and Agritech Network (RAAN) to drive transformation and modernization in the agriculture sector.
Through the RAAN, the ministries will bring together the experience and expertise needed to:
- increase farm profitability and employment opportunities;
- strengthen the provincial food system and increase the amount of food produced;
- improve the environmental sustainability of farming; and
- reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon.
Establishing a network will help ensure farmers have the support to combine new agritech, such as machine-visioning and mesh networks, with regenerative agricultural practices.
The regenerative approach covers new and existing technologies that aim to restore soils, water and biodiversity health to improve overall ecosystem services and make farmland more resilient to climate change.
Agritech, in support of regenerative agriculture, will also mitigate climate change by sequestering greenhouse gases and reducing on-farm outputs.
The RAAN will facilitate the necessary collaboration with farmers, producers, industry and academia to address major challenges, such as the increased cost of resources for food production (e.g., land and water), labour shortages and the impacts of climate change.
