Parkland, Brazeau, Lac Ste Anne and Yellowhead Counties, Alberta
Challenge Statement
Our agricultural community will revitalize and grow through the connection of people to the land and food while attracting citizens to share in its prosperous, innovative and resilient way of life.
Summary
This proposal has a lofty goal. The applicants seek to increase the prosperity and safety of rural communities – farm and rural residential alike – through the full use of integrated data and connected technologies. Increased rural prosperity will support more people living on farms and in rural areas. This will require greater technology adoption, proper decision support tools and market linkage between rural/farm areas and urban Canada and beyond.
The proposal seeks to build more prosperous market and knowledge links with urban Canada and beyond. Data-driven discussions will bring farmers closer to people’s kitchen tables and address misconceptions about how our food is produced. We will improve the safety and security in rural areas by reducing accidents between large machinery, and improve regional security through technology adoption.
Overall, these initiatives seek to create a more prosperous and safe way of life in rural Canada. In turn, a growing population is anticipated; a greater interest in living a rural lifestyle will prompt more young people to move into farming, and incent greater inter-generational farm transfer.