New Emissions Reduction Alberta $60M challenge a major opportunity for agri-food innovators
Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA) has launched the Agriculture, Water, and Land Challenge to help the province’s agriculture, forestry, water, land and waste technologies move from pilot to practice.
ERA is investing $60 million in the challenge, and successful applicants are eligible for up to $10 million per project, with a minimum request of $250,000.
Innovation is needed to help farmers produce more with fewer resources and reduced environmental impacts. AgSphere supported ERA in developing the project and is proud to amplify the challenge to help find solutions that can benefit our home province. Our founding partners, AdFarm, the Calgary Stampede, Olds College of Agriculture and Technology and Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund, have all worked with innovators and supported the development and adoption of ag innovation in the province.
The Agriculture, Water, and Land Challenge is a tremendous opportunity for ag innovators ready to test their solutions in real-world conditions in Alberta to help scale and drive adoption of their solutions. ERA is seeking agriculture and agri-food projects such as:
- Precision agriculture, robotics and autonomous equipment
- Nutrient and manure management
- Livestock methane reduction
- Controlled-environment agriculture and food processing
- Soil amendments and agrivoltaics
- Recovery of value from agricultural and food byproducts
Alberta has been a place where innovators have been able to test and scale their ag innovations that have driven sustainability on farms across the province and beyond. Decisive Farming has helped farmers make better decisions to increase yields and improve crop nutrition and protection utilization (which also benefits the environment). Livestock Water Recycling developed technology that treats manure to draw out clean, high-quality water, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and recycle water.
The Agriculture, Water, and Land Challenge is open to agri-food innovators beyond Alberta, but projects must be piloted, demonstrated or deployed here, showing how their solutions can be successfully adopted in Alberta. Projects will also need to have private funding, which can be matched by ERA funding on at least a 1:1 basis.
Interested in learning more about the Agriculture, Water, and Land Challenge? Register for the Q&A webinar on Thursday, November 12, at 11 am MST.
Check out all the details and apply at eralberta.ca/technology-funding/agriculture-water-and-land-challenge/. Applications are open until Wednesday, December 16, 2026, at 5 pm MST.
