Berry brilliant: New growing system from TMU profs to revolutionize food production
TMU professors Habiba Bougherara (Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science) and Lesley Campbell (Faculty of Science) share how their groundbreaking berry-growing system could revolutionize food production in Canada. (Toronto Metropolitan University/YouTube)
Growing up on a vegetable farm in Embro, Ont., TMU professor and plant scientist Lesley Campbell experienced firsthand how tough farming life can be.
“The amount of sheer physical labour, the challenges of seasonal work, the financial difficulties that can arise – being part of Canada’s food production system is extremely important, but it can also be a very exhausting and difficult life,” she said.
Today, Campbell and mechanical engineering professor Habiba Bougherara are poised to change that.
With their combined expertise in horticulture and engineering, the duo has joined forces to develop an innovative berry-growing system that could revolutionize how fruit is grown in Canada and around the world.
$1 million grant
Their work has garnered so much attention, they’ve been selected as one of the 11 elite teams across Canada to pioneer new agricultural technologies with a $1-million grant.
The grant is thanks to the Weston Family Foundation (external link) and the Shepherd phase of its $33-million Homegrown Innovation Challenge (external link) , created to support research aimed at expanding the growing season of berries on a substantial scale in Canada.
How it works
Using raspberries and blackberries as proof of concept, Bougherara and Campbell's technology offers a year-round, sustainable alternative to traditional farming methods.
It does so by growing raspberries in a way that eliminates the need for pesticides and soil, reduces land and labour requirements, and enables year-round production in any climate, thereby addressing key challenges in modern agriculture while minimizing environmental impacts.
“This new technology has the potential to transform the agricultural industry on a local, national and international scale,” said Bougherara, who teaches in TMU’s Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science (FEAS). “It will create new types of farms that produce local fruit out-of-season, while preserving natural resources, and providing equal access to affordable and nutritious food.”
The vertical, multi-layered design maximizes space efficiency (growing upward instead of outward) which has groundbreaking results.
“Our research shows that this technology yields a remarkable 350 per cent increase in food production compared to conventional farming methods,” said Campbell, who teaches in TMU’s Faculty of Science (FOS).
“Plus, the versatility of this technology extends beyond berries,” she continued. “It can be adapted to grow a wide array of fruits and vegetables within greenhouses and vertical farms, offering boundless opportunities for sustainable food production in Canada.”
“Essentially, with this technology, we can grow any type of food from anywhere in the world. We could even do this in space.”
Talking to plants
Another extraordinary feature of the technology is the development of a communication tool between plants and the growing environment. A biosensor inserted into the stem of the plant indicates what the plant needs to a control system which adjusts the growing environment accordingly.
Observing plants and using the information generated through the sensor, Bougherara and Campbell’s vertical farm automatically adjusts nutrient levels, lighting or temperature changes to facilitate optimal berry growth and development.
"With this technology, the plants are now able to tell us what they need,” said Campbell, noting that they are among the first to use this biosensing technology.
“By listening to the plants – for instance, if we see that they need more or less of a certain nutrient, light or a change in temperature, we can quickly respond to help them thrive.”
Bee-free
The professors’ technology is also the first self-pollinated vertical stacking farm, which does not require bumble bees to pollinate.
This is noteworthy since artificial lighting in indoor environments negatively affects the bees’ ability to pollinate - yet many of the fruits and vegetables we enjoy require pollination. For instance, of the top five fruits imported to Canada in 2022, four of the top five require cross-pollination.
Therefore, to feed Canadians locally produced fruit in winter, new methods for indoor pollination, such as this, are required.
Overall, Campbell says the potential benefits of the technology are tremendous - not only for the environment, the industry and consumers - but for farming families like hers.
“Even though we’re industrializing agriculture, there are still farm families behind it, and this technology can have a huge impact,” she said.
Bougherara and Campbell anticipate commercialization of their innovative growing system within the next three to five years.
Next Steps in the Homegrown Innovation Challenge
Currently in its second phase, each team, including Bougherara and Campbell, has received $1 million to develop and refine their prototypes. The upcoming phase will narrow down the competition to four teams, each to be awarded $5 million, furthering the drive towards innovative agricultural solutions.
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