After more than three years of researching and developing Canada’s first self-pollinated vertical stacking farm, two professors from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) are among just four teams across Canada to successfully advance to the Scaling Phase of the Weston Family Foundation’s Homegrown Innovation Challenge.

With an additional $5-million in funding over three years, their innovative berry-growing system aims to revolutionize sustainable farming in Canada and address key challenges in modern agriculture while minimizing environmental impacts.

TMU’s team, made up of mechanical engineer Habiba Bourgherara from the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science (FEAS), and plant scientist Lesley Campbell from the Faculty of Science (FOS), is developing the “MoFarm,” a modular, vertical farming system designed for year-round raspberry production. Developed in collaboration with Yves Bélanger and Pascal Gagnon of industrial partner Montel Inc. (Montmagny, Quebec),the system’s multi-layered design can pollinate and grow multiple types of crops at various stages, maximizing yield and efficiency.