Agricultural Clean Technology Program

The Agricultural Clean Technology (ACT) Program is a $25-million, three-year investment (2018 – 2021) which aims to support research, development and adoption of clean technologies through investments in, and promotion of precision agriculture and agri-based bioproducts.

The clean technologies supported through the ACT program will help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, generate a wide range of positive environmental impacts, and promote sustainable and clean growth.

Projects announced today under the Program

Coop Agri-Énergie Warwick – Up to $758,243

This investment will support Coop Agri-Énergie Warwick, the first agricultural cooperative dedicated to the production of renewable energy in Quebec, in the development of a cooperative agricultural biomethanizer plant. The plant will transform cow manure and organic residues from local industries into biomethane, a renewable natural gas. 

The plant could serve as a model for the development of renewable energy products in the agriculture sector when construction is complete. Operations are expected to begin by the end of the year, bringing revenue diversification and active participation in the Canadian energy transition. 

Today’s announcement will enable Coop Agri-Énergie Warwick to carry out its novel initiative to further process the digestate produced by this eco-friendly plant, therefore enhancing its agricultural value to the benefit of its farmers’ members. This investment builds on past federal funding of $1.7 million announced by the Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions.

Coop Agri-Énergie Warwick has partnered with Coop Carbone, a non-profit organization engaged to act in the face of climate emergency. Coop Carbone initiated the project, and is in charge of its implementation and daily operations. This project is the result of collaboration across many stakeholders, including Groupe Génitique, the Research and Development Institute for the Agri-Environment, Énergir, the Coopérative de développement régional du Québec, La Coop fédérée (now known as Sollio Cooperative Group), the Conseil québécois de la coopération et de la mutualité, the Ville de Warwick and the Corporation de développement économique de Victoriaville et sa région, Desjardins and Investissement Québec, Fondaction, and many others. 

Innofibre – Up to $125,400 

The proposed project will be carried out by Innofibre, a Cégep applied research center in Trois-Rivières, in collaboration with Agrofibres, La Mitis RCM and the ministère de l'Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l'Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ).

Innofibre will develop value-added coproducts using residues from the processing of industrial hemp and flax, to be provided by Agrofibres and La Mitis RCM respectively. Various coproducts will be made depending on the properties of the residues, and include natural health products, cosmetics and household products. The residues will be analyzed to ensure the products made provide maximum value.

This project will provide economic benefits for Quebec farmers, while promoting the development of agri-based materials in place of less environmentally-friendly alternatives. For example, hemp coproducts can replace approximately 800 tonnes of composite derived from fossil fuel resources, thus contributing to the reduction of GHG emissions in Quebec. There are also economic benefits of using hemp fibers over cotton fibers in textiles, as growing hemp requires much less water usage. 

Related Products

• Supporting Quebec farmers’ sustainable clean technology projects