$2M for horticultural research institute

Vancouver, BC – Research into reducing both greenhouse gas emissions and the use of harmful pesticides in agriculture is being supported with $2.2 million in funding from the BC government.

The funding will help construction of a 500-sq-m greenhouse at the Kwantlen’s Institute for Sustainable Horticulture in Langley to study the potential for geothermal heat as practical energy source. An attached 450-sq-m lab will develop natural pest control methods for both indoor and outdoor use.

The Institute for Sustainable Horticulture is an integral part of the Kwantlen’s School of Horticulture, BC’s largest horticultural training centre. It is a partnership of horticulture groups, formed to take on projects that benefit the horticulture industry and promote the commercial use of integrated pest management. The institute will be Kwantlen’s first research facility.

“We are delighted to be able to move forward on the construction of our first dedicated research facility in Langley,” says Grant Allan, Kwantlen’s associate vice-president of research and scholarship.