Sustainable agriculture

What if we rethought agricultural practices to create an ecological model that would allow us to source fresh, local produce year-round? This is the challenge that the forerunners of vertical farming want to meet by growing lettuce, microgreens and strawberries—and possibly other fruits and vegetables—thanks to research. IGA is proud to partner with some of these innovative Quebec producers by selling their fruits and vegetables in its stores.

Sustainable
agriculture

What is vertical farming?

This is a new method for growing fruits and vegetables indoors. The environment is fully controlled using technology, regardless of the season. You can program the desired temperature or humidity and even reproduce the wind, for example. As fruits and vegetables are protected from weather-related damage, there is no risk of losing crops as a result of droughts, heavy rains or frost.

Seedlings grow in facilities built on several floors in height, hence the name, vertical farming, in contrast to agriculture grown in a traditional field or greenhouse that is done on a single surface of land. Vertical farming produces 10 times more fruits and vegetables than a traditional greenhouse and 100 times more than a field per square foot.

This method has many advantages:

Access to local fruits and vegetables is possible all year round.

Harvests are maximized on a small production area. The same area multiplies the harvests of traditional agriculture since there are several floors of plants on the same perimeter.

Losses are limited as fruits and vegetables are not affected by the external climate.

Ecosystems are adapted for each plant, to give them the ideal climate for their growth.

Fruits and vegetables grow 30% faster than those on a traditional farm because there are no stressors in their environment.

Environmental benefits

Vertical farming not only offers advantageous harvests, but it stands out for its many ecological benefits, such as:

low water consumption

reduction of greenhouse gases

agriculture without the use of chemical pesticides and GMOs

access to local products all year round.

In a context of climate change, this method of agriculture could prove to be an advantageous path to the future.

For better products

A unique ecosystem is created for each fruit and vegetable so that they reach their full potential. By doing this they contain more nutrients, which increases the shelf life of food by an additional 5 to 10 days and reduces food waste once at the consumer’s home.

The fruits and vegetables are of incomparable quality. Winter strawberries are as juicy and tasty as summer ones, while lettuces are fresh and crunchy all year round. By buying products from vertical farming, we’re encouraging the local economy while enjoying local flavours. Among other things, we are helping to reduce the agricultural ecological footprint, helping create a greener planet.

Discover our producers

AquaVerti’s mission is to eliminate imports, end the use of pesticides and offer locally grown greens all year round with a shelf life of several weeks, as well as fighting food waste.

The first hydroponic farm incorporating vertical farming in Quebec, the company is located in an urban centre in Ville Saint-Laurent and aims to inspire farmers to transition to sustainable agriculture. There are different varieties of salads made with lettuce, kale, spinach, arugula and herbs in “teenager” format that maximizes crunch, texture and nutritional value. Each year, more than 6 million heads of lettuce are harvested in a space of only 15,000 square feet.

The visionary team of La Boîte Maraîchère has developed an indoor farming technology without compromise regarding their ecological impact, a real model of sustainability for the industry. Their greenhouses can be installed in any climate, bringing the food closer to the table, therefore reducing transport-related GHG.

Their lettuces are both delicious and nutritious, and are grown with love and expertise, guaranteeing freshness reminiscent of our grandmothers’ kitchen garden. Free from pesticides, GMOs and animal fertilisers, they are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – a real asset for your health while protecting the planet.

A Quebec strawberry in winter? This is what this vertical-farming-focused company offers. The small red fruit is grown all year round in height on 14 floors. The know-how and the technological development of high precision make it possible to harvest strawberries—picked at maturity and very sweet—without a trace of chemical pesticides all year round.

La Ferme d’Hiver has water-cooled LED lights that guarantee good weather all the time. At La Fraise D’Hiver, they promise local flavour with an eco-responsible practice!

Based in St-Hubert, GoodLeaf Farms proudly grow microgreens and young greens using vertical farming techniques year-round.

Their mission, with a focus on food self-sufficiency, is to cultivate simple, ethically grown products 365 days a year that inspire healthy lifestyles through environmentally friendly agricultural practices. Their "farm to table" philosophy means sustainable greens of the highest quality. Their ideal indoor growing conditions produce products with high nutritional value and unparalleled purity – no pesticides, no herbicides, no fungicides, just delicious greens of the highest quality and freshness.

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