The University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) is playing a key role in the just-launched Sustainable Food Systems for Canada (SF4C) Platform and will share in $16.2 million in federal funding over the next five years to help create a national agrifood innovation and entrepreneurship program.  

UFV’s Chilliwack campus will become the western hub for SF4C, with Dr. Lenore Newman from the Faculty of Science as its chair. Lenore, director of the university’s Food and Agriculture Institute (FAI), is one of two national directors for the SF4C, along with the University of Guelph’s Dr. Evan Fraser. 

“The world is facing significant challenges with food security, much of that due to climate change, and we need to be looking at new ways of doing things,” Lenore says. “We need to support agrifood entrepreneurs and encourage the development of technologies with the goal of increasing Canada’s food production and resiliency. That is the SF4C mission.” 

Evan wholeheartedly agrees. 

“At the heart of SF4C is a philosophy to nurture business-minded research and develop a Canadian base of educated innovators who will bring as many solutions as possible to the market,” he says. 

Led by Lenore and the FAI team, the western hub will develop courses, modules, and workshops that help entrepreneurs get their ideas off the ground. A proposed pre-seed incubator program will nurture and develop agrifood startups.  

“We believe that agrifood innovation can stimulate substantial socio-economic growth for Canada,” Lenore says. “Canada has massive potential to be an agrifood leader, and creating highly motivated business-ready leaders is vital to realizing that potential.” 

Dr. Rickey Yada, former president and member of the Deans Council of Agriculture, Food and Veterinary Medicine in Canada, and part of Lenore’s leadership team within the western hub, agrees the challenge has always been the ability to translate exciting innovations developed at academic institutions into successful commercial products and technologies.   

“Never has this challenge been more pressing as we face the most critical time in history resulting from the simultaneous manifestations of the pandemic, extreme weather events and geopolitical strife. SF4C will bring together the best minds/researchers to position Canada as a global leader in innovative solutions to address those challenges.” 

UFV students assisting with this work will gain knowledge and skills that will be invaluable should they choose to become entrepreneurs themselves.  

UFV President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Joanne MacLean says the funding recognizes the university’s status as a leader in ag-tech research. 

“There is incredible work already happening within our Food and Agriculture Institute in food security, an issue that matters not just here at home, but nationally and globally,” she says. “As the university celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, this is another great example of how our faculty and students are helping to build community 50 years forward.” 

Joanne believes the Chilliwack campus is the perfect home for the hub, as it is in the heart of B.C. agriculture in the eastern Fraser Valley.  

“Our Chilliwack campus houses our thriving agriculture programs,” she says. “And Dr. Lauren Erland and her team are doing phenomenal research in the cutting-edge BERRI Lab that was opened there in 2024.” 

Funding through Lab to Market grants is administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), in collaboration with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).  

UFV’s formal partners in the western hub include the University of Alberta and Vancouver Island University, with Simon Fraser University’s B.C. Centre for Agritech Innovation as a collaborating organization. Industry partners include Bioenterprise, Zone Agritech, Ontario Genomics and the Canadian Food Innovation Network.  

Across Canada, 13 post-secondary institutions are involved in SF4C including Concordia University, Dalhousie University, George Brown College, Lambton College of Applied Arts and Technology, Niagara College, Université Laval, University of Alberta, University of Manitoba, University of Saskatchewan, and York University.