Innovation is playing an increasingly important role in the competitiveness of horticultural businesses. Faced with challenges related to labor, productivity, water management, and reducing input use, growers need quick access to technological solutions tailored to their specific circumstances.
With this in mind, the Quebec Institute for the Development of Ornamental Horticulture (IQDHO) has commissioned Zone Agtech to identify, analyze, and categorize innovative technologies that can support the development of the cut-flower sector.
As the leading organization in ornamental horticulture in Quebec, the IQDHO supports businesses in the sector through agronomic and economic consulting services, knowledge-transfer activities, and initiatives that promote innovation and the improvement of practices.
At a time when cut-flower companies are facing growing challenges related to labor availability, operational efficiency, and environmental performance, the IQDHO aims to provide the sector with structured access to the most relevant and promising technologies.
The mandate entrusted to the Agtech Zone is aimed, in particular, at gaining a better understanding of producers’ priority needs, identifying available technological solutions at the local and international levels, and facilitating their transfer to companies in the sector.
The goal is to build a comprehensive knowledge base that will enable producers, advisors, and industry stakeholders to better understand the available technologies, their level of maturity, their applications, and their potential impact.
To carry out this mandate, the IQDHO draws on the Agtech Zone’s expertise in technology monitoring, market intelligence, and strategic analysis.
Thanks to its network of local and international partners, the Agtech Zone is able to identify emerging innovations, pinpoint the most relevant technology providers and developers, and assess their potential to meet the specific needs of Quebec producers.
The scope of the project includes, among other things, conducting interviews with producers and industry experts, identifying innovative technologies at the national and international levels, creating a structured database, and supporting knowledge transfer and dissemination activities.
This initiative builds on an initial successful collaboration between the IQDHO and the Agtech Zone in the nursery, turf, Christmas tree, and ornamental greenhouse sectors, demonstrating the success of their first collaboration.
Innovation alone is not enough to transform an industry. To have a tangible impact on the ground, new technologies must be identified, evaluated, adapted to users’ needs, and supported as they are brought to market.
This is precisely the role that the Agtech Zone plays for companies, organizations, and agricultural sectors that want to accelerate their transformation and remain at the forefront of innovation.
More than just a network, the Agtech Zone acts as a true growth accelerator for organizations seeking to better understand their technological environment, develop transformative projects, or facilitate the adoption of innovative solutions. Through its ecosystem—which brings together producers, technology companies, researchers, investors, industrial partners, and support organizations—it facilitates access to the strategic resources needed to turn innovation opportunities into tangible results.
Whether it’s conducting technology monitoring, assessing a market, structuring an industry cluster, identifying strategic partners, or supporting the rollout of innovations, Zone Agtech puts its expertise to work to foster the development of the agricultural sector.
The technologies that will transform the agriculture of the future often exist long before they are adopted on a large scale. But we still need to be able to identify them, understand them, and assess their potential for local businesses.
By collaborating with organizations such as IQDHO, the Agtech Zone helps strengthen Quebec’s agricultural innovation ecosystem and create conditions conducive to the development of practical solutions for producers.
Are you looking to conduct technology monitoring, identify innovative solutions, develop a strategic project, or accelerate the adoption of technologies within your organization?Contact Zone Agtechto find out how our team can support you.
Become a member of the Agtech Zone and join one of Canada’s most dynamic agricultural innovation ecosystems by clicking here.
