Yesterday, Zone Agtech was delighted to welcome the Table horticole de l'Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA), 10 Quebec horticultural associations, MAPAQ and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to their quarterly meeting. The day's events provided an opportunity for rich exchanges on current issues facing the sector.
The meeting provided an opportunity to present the mission of the Agtech Zone. Through the creation of a world-class innovation ecosystem, the Agtech Zone aims to respond to the pressing challenges facing the agricultural sector, whether in terms of food autonomy, climate adaptation, reduction of the environmental footprint or labor shortages, by promoting innovations and companies in agtech and plant bioproducts in Quebec.
In front of representatives of the UPA and horticultural associations, the Zone Agtech team presented the pillars that structure its offer. These include theEspace d'accélération et d'innovation agtech currently under construction in L'Assomption, which will soon offer companies laboratories, training rooms, offices and prototyping workshops available for rent, giving agtech innovators access to a strategic space at the very heart of the agricultural territory. It will become a veritable catalyst for ambitious collaborative projects, closely aligned with concrete needs in the field.
Guests were also able to discover the strength of Quebec's Agtech Community, led by the Zone Agtech, which brings together more than 120 technology companies, 30 research and teaching centers, and an extended network of industrial, financial and agricultural partners. This community acts as a lever for the development and adoption of concrete solutions for producers.
The visit concluded at Vertiberry, an innovative company located in the Agtech Zone, which generously opened its doors to show visitors its strawberry and strawberry plant production facilities in a controlled environment. This highlight enabled participants to see at first hand the concrete benefits of innovation in agriculture: optimized production, precise resource management, and a reproducible model that responds to current climatic and economic realities.
Committed partners such as Vertiberry, the MRC de L'Assomption, the Ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie du Québec, Desjardins, Hypertec, Sobeys, Harnois Industries, Univerco, Epsilia, Fasken, and many others, support the Zone Agtech vision and actively participate in the implementation of programs such as AgXis, Propulserre and MARIA. These programs are designed in collaboration with the horticultural associations themselves, to meet the challenges of the field while promoting transfer to the market.
The visit enabled the Table horticole de l'UPA to witness the scale of local initiatives aimed at accelerating the transformation of the agricultural sector. It was also able to bear witness to Zone Agtech's strong desire to work hand in hand with producers to build a more resilient, efficient and sustainable model. A shared ambition, at the crossroads of agricultural knowledge and technological innovation.
We'd like to extend our warmest thanks to the UPA, the organizations present and Vertiberry for their participation and commitment.
