The Northern Ontario Farm Innovation Alliance (NOFIA), in partnership with the Vineland Research & Innovation Centre and the Rural Agri-Innovation Network (RAIN), are conducting a survey to learn about how to improve access to local fruits and vegetables in Northern Ontario. This survey is part of a larger project to understand the north’s horticulture sector and develop a technical roadmap for increasing horticulture production in the region.

We are looking for consumers, producers, and industry related folk with connections to horticultural produce in Northern Ontario to participate in a short survey.

Producer Survey

http://remote.vinelandontario.ca:8080/eq/r1/rt72p

Consumer Survey

http://remote.vinelandontario.ca:8080/eq/r1/6zk06

Previous research, such as the North-Central Food & Agriculture Market Study conducted by RAIN in 2018, revealed that there is an intense need for local product in the region, given that the majority of produce is grown elsewhere. Horticultural produce is in high demand, especially locally grown selections.

Vineland Research & Innovation Centre has identified four main research areas that will have a significant impact on the region, with input from NOFIA and RAIN. The research areas include communities, small scale production, northern winters, and climate change.

Considering agriculture in Northern Ontario involves a wide range of stakeholders, this study will focus on two communities in the region that have distinct backgrounds: Indigenous and Anabaptist. One of the project’s goals will be to address these communities’ challenges and advantages.

Previous research conducted by NOFIA found a disconnect between consumer demand for local produce and the amount of horticultural production in the area. Horticulture is increasing in the region to fill this void, however there are limited large-scale horticulture farms in the north. Given that most automation and technical solutions are designed for larger operations, this research will explore opportunities that are available to smaller-scale operations.

Northern Ontario’s climate can make horticulture production challenging. As a result, another goal of the research is to explore new and developing technologies that can help enhance horticulture productivity in cooler climates.

Furthermore, climate change can have a negative influence on the region’s production due to severe weather occurrences. However, it may also have a favourable impact on the region’s horticulture production with milder winters and longer growing seasons. This will be an investigated research topic through a review of the literature and contact with climate experts from Ontario universities.

With respect to improving access to local fruits and vegetables, we need your help! We are looking for consumers, producers, and industry related folk with connections to horticultural produce in Northern Ontario to participate in a short survey.

This research is funded by NOFIA and FedNor, conducted by Vineland Research and Innovation Centre, with support from RAIN.