$2.5 million is being invested in Saskatchewan to build food security.
The federal government made the multi-million dollar commitment to the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan on Friday, with GIFS CEO Steve Webb saying this will help build a biomanufacturing facility to advance agriculture.
“Adhering to the A, B, C’s of biomanufacturing – automation and miniaturization, biology, and computation – this unique technology platform helps reduce the time it takes to trial innovative solutions and get them to market,” Webb said.
“Once online, the platform will decrease the room for error through automating lab processes, boast a deep understanding of biological structures and processes, and add powerful computing solutions, like artificial intelligence, to rapidly scale up the design and production of more nutritious and sustainable crops and food products.”
PrairiesCan said this will help researchers in Canada compete in the agri-food industry, and increase the pace of research.
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The minister of PrairiesCan, Dan Vandal, said agriculture is critical, adding that technology can help.
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“Agri-food and agricultural technology advancements are making a difference in the fight against climate change, soil and water conservation, biodiversity, and clean technology,” Vandal said.
USask’s vice president of research, Baljit Singh, said the university is helping develop food that’s needed.
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“One of the needs that I’m going to highlight is producing food for a growing world. It’s not only the amount of food we need, it is the food that is nutritious, it is the food that is affordable. It is the food that is produced with reducing amounts of ingredients like fertilizer and pesticides. It is the amount of food we need to produce more with the reduction of agricultural land around the world,” Singh said.
He added this will help while other places in the world struggle with agricultural land and water security.
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