Shaping the future of farming with McCain Research Chair at Dal

From Springboard Content Lab

Artificial Intelligence to make French fries? Drone tractors? Remote sensors to plant and harvest potatoes?

It may sound like the stuff of science fiction, but these are some of the things happening in modern agriculture thanks to a research partnership between McCain Foods , Potatoes New Brunswick, and Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture.

McCain Research Chair funded to build agriculture sustainability

In 2017, the McCain Research Chair was established at the Dalhousie Faculty of Agriculture to improve sustainable agricultural practices and food security in Atlantic Canada.

Dr. Ahmad Al-Mallahi, an expert in agricultural engineering and sensing technologies, is the McCain Research Chair and Assistant Professor in the Department of Engineering.

In 2024, McCain Foods and Potatoes New Brunswick renewed Dalhousie’s McCain Research Chair.

Dr. Al-Mallahi is working at the Dalhousie Agricultural campus – which includes a 250-hectare farm - to develop precision technologies to address challenges in potato production. One of his research goals is to optimize farmed food output by improving the efficiency of production, reducing waste, and building resilience in agriculture.

Dr. Ahmad Al-Mallahi

“We are both pleased and impressed by the work of Dr. Al-Mallahi and his team. Potatoes are our passion, and regenerative agriculture stands as a primary focus for both me and McCain Foods, in light of the numerous challenges confronting the agricultural industry. It is only by working together to build an industry-aligned solution that we can truly transform our agricultural production system." Dr. Yves Leclerc, McCain Foods’ Global Director of Agriculture Sustainability

Growing sustainability with AI and smart machines

The research focuses on developing smarter machines to assist farmers in planting, harvesting, and cultivating crops. Al-Mallahi's work uses sensors to perform field tasks using automation. He has also developed remote equipment that feeds information to robotic tractors.

Since the McCain Research Chair was established, researchers have created three projects that have resulted in prototypes that were deployed in the field and demonstrated to key stakeholders, according to Dr. Al-Mallahi.

McCain Foundation funds postdoctoral researchers at Dal

The McCain Foundation also committed $1.5 million to fund 12 + post-doctoral fellowships to strengthen sustainable agricultural research and align with the work of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The researcher projects are designed to reduce the carbon footprint of growing operations by using data-driven decision-making and Artificial Intelligence promote food security and environmental preservation.

Researchers are also assessing social sustainability in the agri-food industry, advancing sustainability in the potato industry and contamination transport in soil and water.

Agriculture sector facing environmental challenges

The agriculture sector is vulnerable to the impacts of drought, extreme temperatures, flooding are contributing to food supply disruption.

“The development and implementation of new technological solutions designed to support regenerative agriculture in potato cropping systems offer a promising way forward,” says Matt Hemphill, executive director of Potatoes New Brunswick.

Dal OCIE, Springboard and other support partnership

Dalhousie’s Office of Commercialization and Industry Engagement has been providing support to McCain and Dr. Al-Mallahi on several new technologies developing from his research.

McCain and Potatoes New Brunswick remain strong supporters. The fist five-year chair term ended in 2024 but McCain and PNB are committed to continued support for Dr. Al-Mallahi for 2024-29