Making every drop and acre count: Alberta launches tech competition

Alberta is launching a $60-million technology competition focused on agricultural productivity, maximizing water availability and restoring land back to productive use.

Through Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA), up to $60 million is available for innovative technologies that can deliver practical solutions for Alberta’s farmers, industries and communities. The new Agriculture, Water and Land Challenge is one of ERA’s largest technology competitions. It is an open call for proposals, with funding to be awarded to the strongest projects that demonstrate real potential to deliver results in Alberta.

“Alberta has some of the best innovators in the world, and we’re challenging them to put their ideas to work. We want technology that helps our farmers produce more, makes our water go further and gets disturbed land back into productive use. We’re making up to $60 million available, but it’s up to innovators to show us what they can deliver,” said Grant Hunter, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas.

A central part of ERA’s mandate is to support the competitiveness and growth of Alberta’s economy by accelerating the development and adoption of innovative technologies. This competition puts that mandate into action by seeking solutions in three key areas:

• AGRICULTURE: Produce more, more efficiently. Agriculture is the backbone of Alberta’s economy. New technologies can increase farm productivity, boost yields, reduce production costs and help farmers and ranchers produce more with fewer resources.
• WATER: Make every drop count. New technologies can conserve, and treat and reuse water, helping existing supplies go further and increasing water availability for Alberta’s farms, industries and communities.
• LAND: Put land back to work. New technologies can make it faster, easier and less expensive to clean up contaminated sites, reclaim inactive well sites and restore disturbed land to productive use.

“Canada has no shortage of promising technologies. The challenge is getting them into the market. ERA bridges that gap by helping innovators prove their solutions in the real world and build the partnerships they need to scale,” said Justin Riemer, CEO, Emissions Reduction Alberta.

Applications for the Agriculture, Water and Land Challenge are open now until Dec. 16, 2026, at 5 p.m. ABT.  Farmers, ranchers, technology developers, businesses, municipalities, Indigenous communities and other organizations are eligible to apply. More information about the challenge is available on ERA’s website.