The Atlantic Institute for Digital Agriculture (AIDA) will be the newest addition to Dalhousie University’s Agricultural Campus in Bible Hill. Photo by Aidan Rawding /Truro NewsArticle contentBIBLE HILL – A new addition to Dalhousie University’s Agricultural Campus will allow students, faculty, and industry professionals an opportunity to work with technologies that enhance farming.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentOn Nov. 25, the school announced the launch of the Atlantic Institute for Digital Agriculture (AIDA), which will be based in Bible Hill.Article contentArticle contentTravis Esau, engineering researcher and director of the institute, said AIDA has been developed over a number of years.Article contentArticle content“Technology is ever-changing,” said Esau about why it’s being launched now.Article content“To be able to have an institute that’s focused on that evolution of technology, it’s important to be able to get this launched and initiated as soon as we can to help farmers in Atlantic Canada and collaborate with national and international partners.”Article contentHurdles that come with agricultural production, for example, climate change and sustainability, also point to why the institute is important at this time, he explains.Article contentWork at the institute will revolve around the following four main areas: precision agriculture; robotics, automation, and artificial intelligence (AI); data-driven management; and human-computer interaction.Article content Travis Esau is an engineering researcher and director of the Atlantic Institute for Digital Agriculture (AIDA) at Dalhousie University. Photo by Aidan Rawding /Truro NewsArticle contentResearchers will use a number of tools like drones, GPS systems and AI in their work at AIDA.Article contentThe institute will also focus on technologies that are applicable to Atlantic Canadian farms. More specifically, the goal is to home in on commodities grown on farms in Nova Scotia, for example, blueberries and grapes.Article contentArticle contentThe university plans to utilize a lot of collaborative partnerships at their new research hub, including with companies like McCain Foods.Article contentWhat excites Esau most about the newly-launched research establishment is the chance to foster connections.Article content“Whether that’s with government, with industry, with other faculty members, this is an institute that’s bringing together multi-disciplinary work across the Faculty of Agriculture, Faculty of Computer Science, and the Faculty of Science,” he said.Article content“And so, making new connections is really one of the more exciting components of being able to have this institute.”Article contentAIDA will run out of two buildings on the Agricultural Campus: the Banting Building and the Cox Institute.Article contentThe university shares that it has future plans to build a facility specifically for the research centre.Article content
New institute at Dal AC fuses technology and farming
