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Vineland report: Automation challenges and future opportunities

In February 2023, Vineland Research and Innovation Centre hosted an event to bring together a variety of horticulture stakeholders including Canadian scientists, engineers, companies and end-users. The goals were to communicate the outcomes of the Horticultural Automation Cluster funded by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), to hear from leading international experts on the state of horticultural automation, to create connections and develop opportunities for future research collaboration and to create awareness for the advancement of Canadian automation R&D.

As part of this event, Vineland conducted stakeholder interviews with 26 different companies and organizations involved in horticultural automation in early 2023. These interviews provided a great overview to understand how the companies work in the space, where they see the best opportunities and how they can be connected to enhance impact for the sector.

The interviews also highlighted many challenges faced by this emerging sector and the growth and key learnings gained over the past five years. Addressing these challenges will be key to establishing a path forward and areas for future collaboration, research and investment in the sector. |READ THE FULL REPORT