Building a Competitive Production System in Niagara & Ontario's Agrifood Sector: Accelerating the Adoption of Automation & Robotics Technologies

This research project investigated the barriers and drivers to globally competitive production systems in Ontario’s agri-food sector, focusing the adoption of automation and robotics, across the entire agri-food value chain. The project's overarching goal was to generate solutions for accelerating technology adoption in Ontario’s agri-food sector.

The study included four phases. The first phase was a province-wide survey about the adoption of automation and robotics technologies in the Ontario agriculture sector. The second phase involved interviews in the Niagara region, providing a case study on automation and robotics adoption. The third phase involved interviews with stakeholders of Canada's Global Innovation Clusters. The final phase consisted of focus group discussions in Niagara, generating data-informed solutions to challenges uncovered in earlier phases.

The project contributes to evidence-based decision-making and program development, ultimately advancing the adoption of automation and robotics technology in Ontario’s agri-food sector.