Growing berries in the snow: latest innovations from Canada and the Homegrown Innovation Challenge
The Homegrown Innovation Challenge is about more than just growing berries: it’s about the future of food (production) in Canada. We are committing $33 million to bold, game-changing ideas that will extend Canada's berry growing season reliably, sustainably, and competitively. We believe that growers and tech innovators have to work together to shape the future of food production.
Come hear from the winners of the latest funding round in the Homegrown Innovation Challenge about their approaches and technologies for cold-weather CEA and extending the growing season.
Speakers
Mr. Quade Digweed, P.Eng is a greenhouse engineer employed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). Since 2018, he has worked at AAFC on varied projects, covering greenhouse microclimate monitoring systems, smart LED lighting, implementation of autonomous greenhouse controls, and development of renewable energy controlled environment production systems in Canada’s Arctic.
Cultivar was established with the goal of bringing an innovative agricultural technology to market, combining the expertise of Université Laval, Farm3, and Ulysse Biotech. The company aims to secure year-round strawberry production in controlled environments, while also ensuring a reliable supply of high-quality, pesticide-free, and insect-free transplants. These transplants serve as a critical input for Cultivar and its clients, enabling them to focus on the quality of their final products and to innovate in delivering healthy, high-standard produce to consumers. At the heart of this initiative is a commitment to sustainability, food autonomy, and cutting-edge collaboration between academic and industrial partners.
The company is led by Vincent Hall, Founder and CEO, who brings a strong background in international procurement and logistics. With experience in managing strategic, large-scale projects—ranging from infrastructure development to industrial partnerships—he plays a key role in aligning innovation with real-world market integration. Through Cultivar, Vincent applies his expertise in partnership development and agile project execution to create robust, scalable solutions tailored to market needs. His leadership ensures that Cultivar not only delivers technical excellence, but also fosters long-term value for clients and the broader agri-food ecosystem
Dr. Lesley Campbell is a Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University. Over 20 years studying pollination biology in agriculture, she trained over 75 students and secured $7.7 million in funding. Campbell’s expertise for creating tools for agriculture includes methods to clone Cannabis, extract cannabinoids, and assess risk of escape of genetically engineered genes. Drs. Bougherara and Campbell have developed a pollination tool for CEA raspberries that outperform outdoor farms by 350%.
Eric Gerbrandt is a Plant Scientist with 18 years of experience in applied horticultural management of berry crops. Based in British Columbia, Canada, he collaborates with a diversity of researchers across various scientific disciplines (e.g., breeding, entomology, pathology, virology) to address practical challenges facing Canadian berry growers. Currently, his research focus is on developing economically viable indoor systems for year-round berry production in Canada.
Henry Gordon-Smith is the Founder and CEO of Agritecture, a global consulting firm specializing in climate-smart agriculture and urban farming. Since founding Agritecture in 2014, Henry has led over 300 projects in 50+ countries, helping developers, entrepreneurs, and governments design resilient, profitable agricultural systems. His expertise spans controlled environment agriculture (CEA), regenerative farming, ag-tech integration, and food systems strategy.
A recognized thought leader, Henry frequently speaks at global events, including the UN Food Systems Summit and World Green Economy Summit. He also teaches at Columbia University on climate-smart agriculture and consults on food policy and sustainable land use planning. His work has been featured in The New York Times, AgFunder, and more.
Henry holds a Master’s in Sustainability Management from Columbia University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia. A digital nomad and global citizen, he brings a multicultural, forward-thinking lens to agriculture.
Through Agritecture, Henry is building the world’s most accessible and data-driven platform for farm planning, with a vision to help global agriculture adapt to climate change. His mission is to make agriculture more resilient, transparent, and equitable through smart design, innovative policy, and responsible technology.