A high-tech greenhouse in King City is sticking it to Trump’s tariffs
How to reduce our reliance on American farmers? Rely on robot ones instead
Canada has a lettuce problem. Ninety per cent of the beloved leafy veg is imported, most of it from California. That’s not good for a country embroiled in a trade war or for shoppers desperate to keep food costs down.
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But one company seems to have found a home-grown solution. Haven Greens in King City operates Canada’s first fully automated greenhouse, which can produce more than 4,500 kilograms of lettuce a day, or 1.6 million kilos a year, all in a single five-acre facility.
AI-driven farming reduces costs to a fraction of what they would be when using traditional methods, and it manages climate and water quality better too, resulting in bigger yields with longer shelf lives. It’s a fresh idea to add to the fight.
Barry Jordan Chong is the city and real estate editor at Toronto Life. He lives and writes in Toronto.
