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Preliminary plans are in the works to develop an agricultural innovation centre in the Okanagan Valley.
Right now, the Summerland Chamber of Commerce is working to suss out whether the region can support an organization that would help young businesses and entrepreneurs in the agriculture and agri-tech industries launch their products.
Although it’s still a relatively vague concept, Jane Campardo explains that such a centre would act as an accelerator of sorts, providing mentorship and expertise for early-stage businesses in the industry.
“It would be like an accelerator in the sense that it would help entrepreneurs launchpad their business ideas,” Campardo, who is conducting the feasibility study on behalf of the chamber, said.
The objective of the centre, she added, would be to drive innovation, economic development and job creation in the Okanagan-Similkameen by supporting local innovators who might not otherwise have access to the resources they need.
“The whole premise is to help create jobs that are higher value in the valley, and first and foremost to always be innovating in the agriculture realm,” she said.
Campardo says there’s a surprising number of businesses in the region that are developing or selling products aimed specifically at the agriculture industry, and that there is a gap keeping them from growing at a quicker pace.
By partnering with organizations like UBCO, Okanagan College, Accelerate Okanagan and the Summerland Research and Development Centre, an agriculture innovation centre could help close that gap and spur on those businesses.
However, the project is nowhere near that stage right now. In fact, Campardo says no one’s even completely sure the idea is worthwhile.
To help figure that out she is calling on anyone in the industry to attend a focus group designed to gauge the feasibility of the project.
“That’s what we’re going to be digging in a bit further to see. If it’s something we can offer here, what would that look like, what would be the structure of that, what sort of programming would be required?” she said.
The focus group is open to anyone in the industry, and will run from 9:00-10:30 a.m. on May 30, at the Okanagan College Centre for Excellence Building.
For more information, contact Campardo at [email protected].
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