L’ASSOMPTION, QC, May 11, 2026 — Zone Agtech will receive up to $3.25 million from the Government of Canada to accelerate clean technology innovation in Quebec agriculture, Tatiana Auguste, Member of Parliament for Terrebonne, announced today. The funding flows through the Agricultural Clean Technology Program’s ACT Accelerator, and Quebec companies will access it via the NEXTERRE program, delivered by Zone Agtech in collaboration with Cycle Momentum and Écotech Québec.
Key takeaways
- Zone Agtech is one of six not-for-profit organizations sharing a national ACT Accelerator investment of up to $30 million announced by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
- The NEXTERRE program will fund Quebec companies to develop and test clean farming technologies in real farm settings, with Cycle Momentum and Écotech Québec as delivery partners.
- Agriculture accounts for about 10% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, and the ACT Program supports Canada’s target of cutting emissions 45-50% below 2005 levels by 2035.
What was announced?
The commitment of up to $3,250,000 comes from the Agricultural Clean Technology Program Research and Innovation Stream – Accelerator (ACT Accelerator). Zone Agtech, based in L’Assomption, is one of six not-for-profit organizations selected as “initial recipients”: each will redistribute funds to companies advancing clean technology for adoption in agriculture. The full national envelope, an investment of up to $30 million, was announced on May 8 by Danielle Martin, Member of Parliament for University–Rosedale, on behalf of the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food.
Canadian agri-businesses are leading the way in creating new solutions to reduce emissions and make agriculture more resilient. With this program, the federal government is working through agtech organizations like Zone Agtech to help science-focused small and medium-sized businesses develop technologies that grow the economy while protecting the environment.
What is the NEXTERRE program?
NEXTERRE is the vehicle that turns the federal envelope into projects on Quebec farms. Delivered by Zone Agtech in collaboration with Cycle Momentum and Écotech Québec, the program funds companies to develop and test new farming technologies in real farm settings, and shares what works through webinars and training on new agricultural technologies in Quebec.
The program targets Quebec companies with an agricultural technology innovation or plant bioproduct in the pre-commercialization or demonstration phase, ready to validate their solution under real-world conditions and able to demonstrate measurable environmental benefits. The goal: help clean farming technologies and bioproducts grow, improve, and reach the market, while making sure the solutions actually meet farmers’ needs and are easy to adopt.
For Cycle Momentum, the program extends a long collaboration with Zone Agtech: the two organizations have run agtech acceleration programs together since 2021, feeding a pipeline of startups through Cycle Momentum’s agtech accelerator track.
Why does agriculture need clean technology?
Agriculture accounts for about 10% of Canada’s greenhouse gas emissions, a share that has stayed stable while other sectors decarbonize (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada). Cutting that footprint without cutting yields takes technology: precision inputs, bioproducts replacing synthetic chemistry, electrified equipment, smarter water and soil management.
The adoption gap is the hard part. A technology that works in a lab doesn’t automatically work between seeding and harvest, on real budgets, in real weather. That’s why NEXTERRE’s real-farm demonstration model matters: producers see proof in field conditions before betting a season on it. The ACT Program supports the Government of Canada’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45-50% below 2005 levels by 2035, and this ACT Accelerator investment helps ensure Quebec producers and agri-food businesses have access to a wider range of advanced technologies, contributing to a more competitive and climate-friendly sector.
Quotes
“By forging meaningful partnerships and investing in Zone Agtech’s NEXTERRE program, we continue to empower innovators across the country to develop and scale the clean technologies that will keep our farms competitive and our environment healthy for generations to come.”
– The Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
“We are proud to support Zone Agtech, which helps make sustainable technological solutions available to farmers, food producers, and agtech innovators throughout Quebec and in the Lanaudière region. By fostering collaboration between technology developers and companies that use these technologies, this ACT Accelerator project aims to show how working together can lead to positive change and growth in the agtech industry.”
– Tatiana Auguste, Member of Parliament for Terrebonne
“Through this initiative, Zone Agtech, in collaboration with Cycle Momentum and Écotech Québec, and with the support of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, is creating concrete conditions to accelerate the development and demonstration of clean agricultural technologies developed in Quebec in real conditions. By supporting high-potential innovations from maturation to market, this program will contribute to reducing the environmental footprint of agriculture while strengthening the long-term performance, resilience, and competitiveness of the sector.”
– Marilou Cyr, Director General, Zone Agtech
Quick facts
- The Agricultural Clean Technology (ACT) Program provides farmers and agri-businesses funding to help develop and adopt the latest clean technologies to reduce GHG emissions and boost their long-term competitiveness.
- The ACT Accelerator provides funding to eligible not-for-profit organizations (Initial Recipients) that further distribute these funds to other organizations (Ultimate Recipients) in support of their research and innovation objectives.
- Projects and final funding are subject to negotiation of a contribution agreement.
- Based in L’Assomption, Quebec, Zone Agtech provides startups, entrepreneurs and businesses an environment to create, develop and commercialize technologies dedicated to solving agricultural and agri-food challenges.
What this means for Quebec agtech startups
If you’re building agricultural clean technology in Quebec, the signal is clear: there is now funded infrastructure to get your solution from prototype to working demonstration on a real farm. Cycle Momentum has accelerated agtech companies from Opalia’s animal-free dairy to the AgTech cohorts run with Zone Agtech, and NEXTERRE adds a demonstration-stage rung to that ladder. Companies with a pre-commercial agtech innovation or plant bioproduct can follow program calls on Zone Agtech’s site, or explore Cycle Momentum’s programs for startups.
SOURCE: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Additional links: ACT Program – Accelerator stream · Zone Agtech · Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
