Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 12th, 2023 – The Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) today unveiled the first of seven stories highlighting results of the AgTech research & innovation projects it is funding through its 2021 Open Competition.
CAAIN’s mandate from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is to fund technological solutions to the most significant opportunities and challenges facing the nation’s agri-food producers and primary processors. That means supporting promising efforts with the potential to provide economic or environmental value. The featured stories demonstrate that CAAIN is doing just that, as do the 129 collaborations the organization has nurtured and the $31M it is investing in 24 projects with a combined total value exceeding $90M.
“Uncontrolled pathogen spread within the livestock sector can create real problems. In addition to health and welfare concerns resulting from disease transmission within animal populations, the notion of zoonotic illness—when diseases move between animal and humans—is a very real threat to food safety and security and to international trade. The global population continues to grow, increasing human and animal interactions,” explained Dr. Cornelia Kreplin, CAAIN’s Interim CEO. “As a result, the notion of One Health—the interconnection of the health of people and animals because of our shared environment—is gaining prominence. For example, we are all aware of the impact avian influenza is having globally, and how the pathogen is spreading from wild birds to poultry. This in turn connects it to us through direct contact with diseased birds. That is just one example illustrating why technology that can manage an emergent situation through real-time tracking, access to data, and communication can only benefit the agri-food sector specifically, and Canada as a whole.”
Digitizing Fomite Contact Tracing to Mitigate Pathogen Spread in Agriculture carries a total project value of $393,794, of which CAAIN will reimburse $ 136,545. Rather than starting from scratch, the project partners are evaluating existing technologies to determine if, and how, they might help trace and track an outbreak, determining its point of origin and how and where it might spread. Armed with such knowledge, authorities would be better able to manage the situation and minimize the eventual impact on the livestock and primary processing sectors. The potential health, environmental, and financial benefits would be significant. Such out-of-the-box thinking is exactly what CAAIN was established to support.
For more information, view the story online.
“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the very real dangers that animal pathogens pose to human health. It also highlighted the critical role that technology will play in reporting and tracking viral outbreaks in real time in order to stop the spread of disease before it reaches the public. That is why the Government of Canada is funding the Digitizing Fomite Contact Tracing to Mitigate Pathogen Spread in Agriculture project, which will help us improve communication in our agricultural sector, help protect our food supply, and ensure the health and safety of Canadians.”
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
“Canada’s livestock sector is recognized worldwide as a supplier of high quality, safe products and part of this trust lies with Canada’s ability to trace and track diseases. This project will enhance the ability of producers to mitigate the risks and impacts of livestock disease transmission with existing traceability technology, while also improving food security and strengthening the resilience of Canada’s agricultural industry.”
The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
“The work CAAIN is doing today is making a difference in the lives of farmers and producers around Canada. These success stories represent some of those early wins for our organization. We are proud of the work Dr. Kreplin and her team are accomplishing. We hope you are as engaged and excited by these success stories as we are.”
Laura Kilcrease, Chair, CAAIN Board of Directors
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The Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network (CAAIN) is a not-for-profit company launched in July 2019 with funding of $49.5‑million from the Government of Canada’s Strategic Innovation Fund, and assistance from Alberta Innovates in the form of significant in-kind contributions. CAAIN drives collaborative agri-food technology research and innovation from coast to coast by performing three core functions. First, it supports the development of promising solutions to important challenges facing producers and primary food processors. Second, it is building an online, member-based network connecting Canada’s agricultural and technology stakeholders. Third, CAAIN is developing a digital platform to link nationwide, production-specific networks of smart farms, which will collaborate to validate and demonstrate emerging technology in diverse locations across the country.
| Project Funding Inquiries Dr. Cornelia Kreplin Interim CEO Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network cornelia.kreplin@caain.ca |
Media Inquiries Eric Morin, CMP Manager, Communications and Marketing Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network 780.405.3742 | eric.morin@caain.ca |
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