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AAFC invests $1.7 million in Quebec ag sustainability projects

On July 7, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Marie-Claude Bibeau announced investments by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) totalling more than $1.7 million in funding for nine projects across Quebec, which will help support and advance innovation within the sector. Recipients include:

• Ferme Onésime Pouliot, which received up to $199,551 in AAFC funding to develop techniques that will lead to the production of well-performing, healthy, disease- and pest-free strawberry and raspberry plants. The plants will be more productive because they will be free of pathogens and pests, allowing producers to reduce their use of pesticides.
• Institut de recherche et de développement en agroenvironnement, which received up to $552,411 in AAFC funding to develop profitable organic management of Tulameen long cane raspberries above ground and under tunnels. The project will allow growers to gain market share in the organic raspberry market while reducing pesticide use.
• Les Moulins de Soulanges Inc., which received up to $43,715 in AAFC funding to understand the discrepancies between Canadian and European winter wheat to improve the bread-making quality of winter wheat in Eastern Canada. The funding will measure the baking qualities of Canadian winter wheats and will allow the selection of varieties best adapted to our climates.

“The research project entitled ‘Propagation of healthy strawberry and raspberry plants’ will allow the development of techniques to produce healthy, pathogen-free plants,” said Guy Pouliot, owner of Ferme Onésime Pouliot, in a press release. “This will have a direct impact on Canadian berry producers and also on greenhouse production, which has enormous growth potential.”