B.C. farmers are getting support to enhance their businesses and boost local food security with new technology, which will help increase production, efficiency and competitiveness.
The B.C. On-Farm Technology Adoption Program funds projects that address labour shortages and improves processes for labour-intensive tasks to help farming operations grow, raise, harvest, pack or store food more effectively.
Applications for this round of funding are open February 24 to April 6, 2026.
New technology for farm businesses
Farmers can use the funding to buy new technology, such as equipment and robotics that can operate independently and adapt to the environment around them. This includes:
- autonomous robotic arms for packing, stacking and wrapping
- machines for planting seeds and plant material precisely and repeatably
- automated harvesters for gathering crops
Results of adopting labour-saving technologies
The program previously supported companies like Northland Farms in Chilliwack. The business invested in an automated radish harvester that can remove radishes from the soil, cut the tops and put them in bins, reducing manual labour and supporting the expansion of the farm business.
In Summerland, Laughing Coyote Orchards Ltd. received help to buy an autonomous vehicle equipped with a mower. The vehicle manages the mowing of the orchard throughout the growing season and is set up to transport materials, reducing manual labour for staff.
Collaborating to help secure a brighter future
Through the Integrated Marketplace initiative delivered by Innovate BC, a Crown agency of the Province of B.C., the B.C. On-Farm Technology Adoption Program is funded by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership. The partnership is a five-year, $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation and resilience of Canada's agriculture, agrifood and agriculture‐based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5-billion commitment that is cost-shared 60% federally and 40% provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories.
