Bayer's Crop Science division, Zone Agtech, and Axceta have formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to initiate a three-party collaboration. This partnership aims to establish an innovation consortium focused on advancing AgriTech and greenhouse technology in Quebec and throughout Canada.
"We are proud that Bayer has chosen Quebec as the foundation for developing the Canadian market, thanks to the strong network of partners within Zone Agtech, Axceta's technological expertise - already contributing to Bayer's innovations - and the depth of Quebec's AI ecosystem.", said Marilou Cyr, general director of Zone Agtech.
The consortium will be structured around Bayer's HortiView platform, a digital crop management solution designed for international horticultural production markets. In its beta version, HortiView offers a range of management tools developed by third-party solution providers including but not limited to pre-harvest functionalities to help producers optimize seasonal planning, fertigation, irrigation, and disease control. The goal is to simplify primary data collection and enable growers to benefit from a curated marketplace of modular, connected agronomic services that support data-driven decisions that help them maximize crop production and optimize resource use.
"The Canadian horticulture industry is highly advanced, diverse and innovation-oriented, which makes it an ideal environment to deploy novel digital solutions to support farmers," said Chris Pienaar, Global Fruit & Vegetable Digital New Value Lead, Bayer. "We are pleased to be working with Zone Agtech and Axceta to further develop HortiView platform and accelerate the agtech space in Canada – all while improving efficiency and productivity for growers. They are excellent partners to take this solution to the next level."
Collaborating for a smarter future in agriculture
Zone Agtech, an innovation ecosystem bringing together 250 members and partners, will leverage its expertise to assess financial feasibility and mobilize key co-investors and partners for the consortium. "This initiative will solidify Quebec's position as a hub for agricultural innovation, attracting top-tier investors, industry leaders, and cutting-edge startups," added Marilou Cyr.
Axceta, a specialist in IoT and digital farming solutions, will serve as a technology partner, contributing its expertise in embedded software, cloud infrastructure, and data-driven agricultural solutions. "This partnership aligns perfectly with Axceta's mission to provide tools to assist our farmers to cope with a shortage of qualified labor while stimulating the local innovation ecosystem," said Sherif Zaroubi, CEO of Axceta. "We look forward to working with Bayer and Zone Agtech to deliver impactful innovations."
The MOU outlines key objectives for the partnership, including supporting the adoption of digital and IoT-based agricultural technologies for optimized resource management, establishing a well-funded consortium that attracts investment and fosters collaboration between industry leaders, startups, and academic institutions, and enhancing environmental sustainability and economic resilience in horticultural production through data-driven decision-making.
For more information:
Zone Agtech
info@zoneagtech.ca
https://zoneagtech.ca/en/
Axceta
info@axceta.com
https://axceta.com/
Bayer
www.bayer.com