A Detailed Guide to How Technology Can Help Ease Greenhouse Labor Concerns
A new white paper from the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre outlines how innovative technologies can reduce labor challenges for greenhouse vegetable growers.
The report, written in collaboration with Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers (OPVG), identifies short-, medium-, and long-term solutions for the sector.
“Now is the right time to elevate the conversation around automation and the adoption of innovative, labor-saving technologies that can also help growers boost production and be more efficient,” says Keith Robbins, OPVG General Manager. “Labor is a long-standing challenge that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In the short term, growers can adopt cost-effective farm management software to support better labor and supply chain management and consider using technology to control weeds, reducing the need for costly chemical products.
To boost shelf life as a way to cope with fluctuating product demand, Ontario vegetable processors can look to packaging and evaluate the economics and ease of implementation of different options.
The report recommends both growers and processors contact companies developing high-tech agriculture solutions about the possibilities of participating in their pre-commercial trials to gain a better understanding of emerging technologies.
In the future, opportunities lie with robots and drones to help with field scouting and foreign object detection, harvesting, and debris detection and removal. The report also identifies the development of an integrated platform to centralize and simplify management of automated systems as key, as well as ensuring technology solutions are also accessible for smaller farming and processing businesses.
“Vineland is committed to advancing innovation in the horticulture sector and can play a connecting role in bringing together science, industry, and growers for technology solutions benefitting the industry,” says Hussam Haroun, Vineland’s Director of Automation.
The complete report can be downloaded here.
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