SFU Launches Global Institute for Agritech Innovation

SFU's Global Institute for Agritech: Innovating for climate resilience, sustainable farming, and global food security solutions.

Simon Fraser University (SFU) has opened the Global Institute for Agritech (GIA), a new multi-faculty research center focused on driving agritech innovation and building global partnerships. The institute will be committed to addressing climate change-related issues in agriculture, including drought resilience, soil loss, and food security.

"Agriculture is a pillar of civilization, and climate change is taking a heavy toll on traditional farming," states Woo Soo Kim, GIA's founding director and SFU professor of Mechatronic Systems Engineering. "By using agritech, we can increase climate resilience through indoor farming, better crop varieties, and AI-facilitated pest control."

The GIA will do state-of-the-art research in precision farming, sustainable pest management, and crop diversification. It will do joint work with industry players, government agencies, and educational institutions, such as Wageningen University (Netherlands) and Technical University München (Germany). The institute is also in collaboration with SFU International, SFU Sustainability, and the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture.

GIA associate director Tammara Soma points to the institute's function of training next-generation agrifood innovators that will develop sustainable and equitable food systems. GIA associate director Jim Mattsson notes the importance of increasing crop yields using fewer resources to maintain competitiveness for Canadian agriculture.

Now, GIA has three regions in focus globally: the Pacific Rim, Tanzania (East Africa), and The Netherlands, partnering with institutions such as the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) and Aga Khan University.

Through training, research, and international outreach, GIA seeks to transform agritech and facilitate sustainable agriculture across the globe.