Winners announced for scaling up greenhouse berry production

Launched in 2022, the $33 million Homegrown Innovation Challenge has become a catalyst for Canadian ingenuity, championing sustainable agricultural innovations that reduce our reliance on imports and strengthen sustainable domestic production. With a focus on extending the growing season for berries, the Challenge is advancing systems that not only are built in Canada but also look to the country’s future.

This Challenge is entering its third and most ambitious phase—the Scaling Phase—that vision is closer than ever to becoming a reality.

Four teams (Scaling Phase grantees) from across Canada, chosen from an exceptional cohort of eleven teams from the previous round (Shepherd Phase grantees), will each receive up to $5 million in total over three years to bring their ideas to life. These teams are taking their solutions from concept to implementation by using the Scaling Phase as an opportunity to demonstrate and refine their growing systems under real-world conditions at farm scale.

This next phase will push the boundaries of controlled environment agriculture, driving advancements from automation of lighting to improved berry varieties for indoor production and microclimate management. Equally important, it will strengthen a growing national network of Canadian producers, researchers, technologists, and entrepreneurs committed to transforming how and where we grow food.