The federal government has announced a contribution to strengthen the sustainability of Canada’s agriculture sector.
Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) says up to $419,000 will be funded to Mojow Autonomous Solutions Inc., through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, under the AgriScience Program.
The company will be using the funding to develop an artificial intelligence data recording kit, known as Eye-Box. Eye-Box is a small, rugged, and economical sensor suite that contains multiple cameras, as well as GPS, combined with a powerful compute unit for real-time processing of collecting data.
When machinery is in use, the Eye-Box will automatically collect images and classify each pixel. This will create (or update) a digital twin representation of the entire farming entity. Eye-Box will make a difference to farmers as the data from the digital representation will be used in computer algorithms, allowing farm operators to make informed decisions when addressing field-level issues.
Rather than have employees process data, the Eye-Box will work automatically and allow farmers and employees to focus their attention on daily tasks.
Minister Bibeau says it’s important to the government to recognize the contributions that innovations have made to the transformation of Canada’s agriculture sector, and how they have strengthened our competitive position internationally.
“By supporting innovation solutions for Canada’s agriculture sector, we are helping our farmers improve the efficiencies within their business, while finding ways for them to respond to challenges such as labour shortages. With investments in businesses such as Mojow Autonomous Solutions Inc., the Government of Canada is helping to strengthen the competitiveness and resilience of the sector for the long term,” says Bibeau.
The AgriScience Program, an initiative under the Canadian Agricultural Partnership aims to support research activities to help industry overcome challenges, address fiscal barriers experienced by small and emerging sectors and prepare for and support high-risk opportunities that have the potential to earn significant returns.
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