Challenges in greenhouse automation

Added on 24 April 2023

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In February 2023, the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre in Ontario 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 research and development.

As part of this event, Vineland conducted stakeholder interviews with 26 different companies and organizations involved in horticultural automation in early 2023. These interviews comprised 22 automation companies, three consultants or government representatives, and one individual from academia, with worldwide representation from Canada, the Netherlands, the U.S., Japan, Singapore, and Israel. Twenty-two of these companies were directly involved with horticulture for both indoor and outdoor production, or working in both environments.

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. Vineland provided a presentation on the main themes that emerged from these sector interviews. Following the presentation, an in-person conversation with event participants took place to address these challenges and create opportunities for future collaboration and growth of the horticultural automation sector.