Indigenous Biostimulants: Agrotek's Path to Sustainable Agriculture
Agrotek, and Indigenous-owned fertilizer and biostimulant manufacturing company, developed an organic soil amendment on blueberry plants and grapevines grown in Okanagan through BCCAI support and network.
The problem
Fertilizers are indispensable for fostering robust agricultural practices by providing crops with crucial nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These essential elements play a pivotal role in enhancing crop growth and development, ensuring food security for burgeoning global populations. However, the intensifying demand for food production on a global scale has resulted in the widespread and often indiscriminate application of synthetic fertilizers. This overreliance on chemical inputs has given rise to a pressing concern – the damaging impact on soil health and the sustainability of crop yields in the long run. This issue is particularly pronounced in Canada, where the escalating use of fertilizers has disproportionately affected First Nation lands, transforming it into a critical national problem. The consequences of excessive fertilizer application on these lands pose multifaceted challenges, from soil degradation to the potential threats to indigenous communities' traditional agricultural practices. Addressing this issue is not only an environmental imperative but also a crucial step towards fostering sustainable and resilient agricultural systems for future generations.
The solution
At BCCAI, we support sustainable initiatives that seek to innovatively solve problems in the agriculture sector while prioritizing environmental integrity. In 2022, we proudly funded Agrotek Industries, a 100% Indigenous fertilizer and biostimulant manufacturing company that extracts leonardite from its Canadian mines. Agrotek has developed an extraction method for its leonardite that generates liquid humic acid extract with biostimulant activity.
Biostimulants are compounds that stimulate plant growth and development by enhancing physiological processes playing a crucial role in supporting plant growth and enhancing crop productivity. Biostimulants are gaining widespread recognition as sustainable solutions to improving crop performance and resilience. Integrating these products into agricultural practices can contribute to a more environmentally friendly, productive, and resilient farming system. This market opportunity for soil biostimulants is driven because of the high demand for sustainable agriculture and government objectives around the world to reduce the use of synthetic fertilizers to reduce GHG emissions.
Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated the efficacy of humic compounds in improving plant growth and soil properties. They can be directly incorporated into soils to mitigate the absorption of heavy metals by plants in contaminated lands. Additionally, these products increase drought resistance and accelerate microbial action, helping plants deal with abiotic and biotic stresses while contributing to carbon sequestration, locking and retaining carbon in soils.
The products developed by Agrotek are in line with regenerative and organic agriculture practices, a holistic approach to farming that focuses on restoring and enhancing the health of ecosystems, emphasizing soil health, biodiversity and sustainability. These practices are used by many Indigenous and non-indigenous farmers. Biostimulants can be used strategically to support soil health and promote sustainable farming practices. Regenerative approaches focus on improving soil structure, organic matter content, and microbial diversity. These products can be part of a holistic system that seeks to enhance overall agroecosystem health. Integrating biostimulants with practices like cover cropping, reduced tillage and crop rotation can contribute to the long-term sustainability of agricultural systems.
Through the partnership with BCCAI, Agrotek had access to SFU's greenhouses and carried out experiments to validate the efficacy and safety of its products. Results showed that leonardite and humic acid substances improved yield and quality of many crops including tomatoes, peppers, blueberries, and elderberries. A chemical analysis of Agrotek’s products was performed and the results obtained were submitted to support the organic registration under the Organic Materials Review Institute OMRI. Agrotek received the approval certificates under both Canadian Organic Standards (COS) and USDA National Organic Program (NOP) for its organic products leonardite, HA-6 liquid humate and is now ready to commercialize their products.
Status: completed
- $186,000 in funds
- Four new HQP jobs were created during the project.
