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New year-round urban farm to launch in Quebec

On Aug. 5, Gigrow Urban Farms, a new Québec company specializing in sustainable agriculture, announced an investment of $13 million for the construction of its first urban farm. Located in the Varennes industrial park, this initial 24,000-square-foot facility will become one of Québec’s largest urban agriculture projects.

Using horizontal rotary garden technology, developed by partner Gigrow, the new urban farm will eventually produce up to four million heads of lettuce per year, as well as other plant products, with a system that reduces water use and produces a year-round, contaminant-free and stable crop.

“Horizontal rotary cultivation is one of the most sustainable solutions for the future of agriculture,” said André Tremblay, president of Gigrow Urban Farms, in a press release. “We are proud to offer a greener alternative with a carbon footprint as much as five times smaller than other farming methods. Our farms will be operated in a controlled environment that is available 365 days a year. This means we are not dependent on the seasons or the weather. This is a significant step towards Québec’s food autonomy.”

With this new infrastructure, Gigrow Urban Farms aims to help support government efforts to achieve food self-sufficiency through consistent local production. This initial urban farm is a first milestone for the company, which wants to build three or four more facilities across Québec within the next five years. In addition, since the technology used meets all organic farming criteria, the company is seeking to obtain organic certification for its crops in the near future.