THE SNAPSHOT
Dalhousie researchers work closely with Nova Scotia's wild blueberry farmers to develop the innovations the sector needs to succeed as climate impacts intensify. The university's new Atlantic Institute for Digital Agriculture will focus and expand this work, delivering precision and digital technologies to help the province's largest agricultural export continue to thrive.
THE CHALLENGE: Unruly crop, big stakes
When Nova Scotia farmer Peter Swinkels describes what it takes to bring wild blueberries to harvest, the enterprise takes on the tension of a bet not easily won. The crop has a mind of its own. It's naturally occurring rather than planted in tidy rows. And since growth is managed over time, the crop can't be quickly expanded to compensate for setbacks. In recent seasons, swings from excessive rain, to late frosts, to severe drought have left even the most experienced growers exposed to risks they have never seen before.
