Strategies to boost the Niagara and Ontario agricultural sectors will be among the Brock research highlights shared at an upcoming community event.<\/p>\n
Taking place virtually Wednesday, Jan. 25, Brock NCO-Agri-Food Innovation Research Day will explore the findings of three research projects and discuss strategies such as applying innovative technologies, abiding by best management practices and sharing information with stakeholders to strengthen the sector.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s about positioning Niagara and Ontario as an agriculture centre of excellence in the world,\u201d says Charles Conteh, Director of Brock\u2019s Niagara Community Observatory (NCO), who notes the agriculture sector is \u201cone of the flagship economic drivers\u201d in the region.<\/p>\n
Those speaking at and attending the Research Day, to be held online in three sessions from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., will include researchers, farmers and representatives from industry and government. To attend the online event, contact NCO Research Co-ordinator Carol Phillips at cphillips3@brocku.ca<\/a><\/p>\n The morning session consists of a research presentation and panel discussion on the NCO report \u201cBuilding Competitive Agri-food Production Systems: Recommendations for Accelerating the Adoption of Automation and Robotics Technology in Ontario\u2019s Agriculture Sector.\u201d<\/p>\n The report is a culmination of a two-year project that included a survey, interviews and focus groups to better understand the barriers and incentives for farmers to adopt automation and robotics technologies.<\/p>\n The lunchtime session will be a summary and wrap-up of the Niagara Agriculture Municipal Learning Network<\/a> (NAMLN), which provided resources and information for local municipal politicians and staff on how best to support and promote the region\u2019s agricultural sector.<\/p>\n The afternoon discussion will focus on barriers to knowledge mobilization \u2014 the uptake and practical application of insights and information generated through research \u2014 that prevent farmers, industry and others from adopting best management practices in Ontario\u2019s horticultural sector<\/a>.<\/p>\n Although all three discussions will focus on different aspects of agricultural development, \u201cinnovation at large is the common theme across all three of those projects,\u201d says NCO Post-doctoral Research Fellow and agriculture specialist Amy Lemay.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is definitely untapped potential in the region for agricultural innovation,\u201d says Lemay. \u201cWith this Brock NCO-Agri-Food Innovation Research Day, we\u2019re showing the connections between the three projects and bringing people with many different perspectives together.\u201d<\/p>\n