October 13, 2005
O'Leary, Prince Edward Island
Future Tech West, a rural Information Technology (IT)
centre focused on agribusiness, is developing a new portal-
based web environment to assist the Island's agricultural
community. This E-Farm Portal will give farmers and specialists access
to a variety of technology-based products and services. It
will include opportunities for farmers to collaborate and
share best practices online, web conferencing, e-learning
and content management, a grassroots test-bed for new
products, a farmers' storefront for buying and selling
goods and services, tools to improve farm productivity and
a comprehensive and interactive section on farm and food
safety.The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) is
providing $230,000 to the project through the Innovative
Communities Fund (ICF), with an additional $20,000 from the
PEI Adapt Council, a not-for-profit organization with funds
from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada dedicated to
increasing the long-term growth, self-reliance, employment
and competitiveness for PEI's agri-food sector and rural
communities. The Province of Prince Edward Island, through
Technology PEI, is providing $50,000. Future Tech West
will cover the remaining project costs.The Honourable Joe McGuire, Minister of the Atlantic Canada
Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and Eva Rodgerson, MLA for West
PointBloomfield, on behalf of the Honourable Mike Currie,
Minister of Development and Technology, along with Darren
Gill, Manager of Future Tech West, were on-site to review
the development plan for the new e-service."This new E-Farm Portal will position Prince Edward Island
as a research and development test-bed for emerging
wireless and web-based services and other farming-related
technologies," said Minister McGuire. "These are also
important economic development tools for the agriculture
industry because they will foster collaboration in
agribusiness, promote innovative thinking and lead to new
product development."The new portal will be designed to assist farmers in
improving farm productivity, reducing production costs,
enhancing product quality, and improving accountability
through the management and communication of up-to-date
policies, standards and methods. It will also provide
financial tools and additional resources for evaluating and
planning production costs, pest and disease management and
crop rotations."With a service like the E-Farm portal in place, farmers
will be better equipped to deal with crop monitoring and
food safety issues among several other crucial elements
related to farming needs," said MLA Rodgerson. "The
challenges of a viable agriculture industry are becoming
much more significant. Meeting those challenges demands
the implementation of innovative technology services that
will enable us to remain competitive."The development of the portal, which requires the complex
adaptation of hardware and software, is expected to take
several months to complete. "This new service will provide an online environment that
will foster creative ideas among farmers, resulting in new
and enhanced strategies, methods and solutions," said
Future Tech West's Darren Gill. "When it's ready to go, we
plan to launch the service to farmers in a hands-on
demonstration of its many uses and benefits."
Julie Whitlock
PEI Business Development Inc.
(902) 894-0367
Ron Crozier
Office of the Minister for ACOA
(902) 888-4150
Darren Gill
Future Tech West
(902) 859-1962
Danielle Gauthier
ACOA PEI & Tourism
(902) 566-7569
