Sustainable inspiration
In July 2014, the town of L'Assomption was the epicenter of a devastating earthquake. The closure of Electrolux, the Swedish appliance manufacturing plant, wiped out nearly 1,300 jobs in this community of 22,400 residents. How do you recover from such a catastrophe in this Lanaudière region, 90% of which is agricultural? Ask Marilou Cyr.
For a little over two years, with the support and cooperation of the MRC de L'Assomption and Écotech Québec , this energetic and determined 35-year-old woman has taken on the mission of filling in 15 km2 of the crevasse that had fractured the social and economic fabric between Repentigny and L'Assomption.
Well aware that the success of agricultural companies will depend on the appropriation and application of technologies that will emphasize sustainable development, Marilou has taken over the management of the Agtech Zone . This is the very first zone of innovation, research, training, technology transfer and creation of firms dedicated to the agricultural technology sectors.
It's no coincidence that Marilou Cyr finds herself at the helm. The daughter of parents who were both agronomists, the director of Zone Agtech worked for a dozen years with her father, who owned a company that provided innovative solutions for the agricultural sector in the Lanaudière region. For example, they were the first in Quebec to work on a second-generation cellulosic methanol project using corn residue. Marilou has also worked as a partner in the field of strategic business development.
With an expected investment of $220 million, the Agtech Zone aims to establish around a hundred companies within five years, dedicated to developing new technologies for both greenhouse and vertical cultivation, field agriculture, and plant bioproducts. Welcome to the world of Agriculture 4.0!
In addition to aiming to create some 2,600 jobs, the project, which was officially launched in February 2020, will enable agricultural producers to benefit from more efficient, more profitable, greener solutions that are better adapted to climate change and food security. It's worth noting that last year, the region experienced around fifteen periods of freezing and thawing during the winter, and six periods of heatwaves during the summer.
Already under development is a project for intelligent energy control in greenhouses to increase their energy efficiency. Another project seeks to ensure vertical cultivation in a 100% controlled environment with artificial lighting. Still others are working on the development of an autonomous and intelligent tractor to overcome labor shortages, precision agriculture to reduce pesticide levels, improving soil health, and water treatment using plants. All of this, also with a view to exporting this knowledge.
"To accelerate the development of innovation and stimulate greater synergy, we are bringing together large companies, start-ups, and research funds for innovation, primarily in new clean technologies, in the same sector. By connecting the various industry players, we ensure that our companies and agricultural producers have access to best practices and information to develop their technologies and implement them on farms."
The Electrolux site has already been decontaminated, and construction of the first facilities on the 800,000 square feet of land to be developed will begin in spring 2021. To date, the Agtech Zone is supporting around fifty companies that could well set up there.
Currently, the Agtech Zone offers innovation programs and acceleration and financing opportunities for businesses in the agricultural sector. Starting in January, due to the pandemic, training will be offered on best agricultural practices to reduce the impact of climate change on farms.
Marilou does all of this with great determination. She certainly cares about the good of our local businesses and farmers, but she has an even more personal reason. She is particularly motivated by the well-being and future of her child, born just three years ago.
Is there a nobler inspiration?
