Regenerative Agriculture Living Lab and Innovation Hub in York Region

Project Funded by: Local Food Infrastructure Fund (LFIF)

Inno-Hive is proud to announce the launch of a groundbreaking Local Food Infrastructure Initiative (LFIF) project that will expand year-round food production, strengthen community food security, and deliver hands-on agricultural education to residents across York Region. Supported through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Local Food Infrastructure Fund, the project brings together Boreal Farms, STEM Minds Corp., and Container Built Inc. to build a resilient, community-powered local food system.

Our project titled ‘Regenerative Agriculture Living Lab and Innovation Hub in York Region’ focuses on establishing a local food hub for King Township and York Region that will become a place and platform for: The year-round production of local food using regenerative and sustainable farming techniques through best practices; A community-centric space that members from the community can visit to access food and learn about agriculture; A space for year-round educational workshops, events and activities for the local community to improve agriculture literacy; A demonstration space for academic partners to conduct applied research around the social, environmental and economic impacts of local food and sustainable agriculture; and A demonstration of a local food hub that leverages partnerships with equity-deserving groups and supporting organizations across York Region. This project seeks to establish greenhouses, teaching spaces and cold storage / farmgate hub on an existing agricultural property in King Township. The greenhouses will be used to increase and extend the production capacity for local food, cultivated by one of our partner organizations, Boreal Farms. The spaces will also be used to facilitate teaching and training around skills development and STEM based education through one of our partner organizations, STEM Minds.

 Through the LFIF project, Container Built Inc. will install new growing infrastructure including climate-controlled greenhouses, cold storage, and high-efficiency tunnels—that will significantly increase the volume of fresh, nutritious produce grown and distributed locally. Boreal Farms will lead the production operations, ensuring a steady supply of vegetables throughout the year. This produce will be donated to community partners, food banks, and social service organizations serving low-income households, newcomers, seniors, and other vulnerable groups.

In parallel, STEM Minds will deliver a series of educational workshops designed to build food literacy, sustainability skills, and community capacity. These hands-on
sessions will equip youth, families, and community members with practical knowledge in climate-smart agriculture, soil health, small-space growing, and
regenerative food production. The workshops will run throughout 2025 and 2026, engaging participants from across York Region and fostering long-term resilience through education.

The initiative aims not only to meet immediate food needs, but to build long-term regional capacity in sustainable agriculture—empowering communities to grow
more, waste less, and share knowledge for years to come. About Inno-Hive – Inno-Hive is a grassroots charity focused on skill-building, innovation, and community resilience. We provide technology-rich, hands-on learning experiences for children, youth, and adults, empowering individuals with practical 21st-century skills and supporting stronger, more sustainable communities.

About Local Food Infrastructure Fund (LFIF) – LFIF supports projects that strengthen community food security and increase the availability and accessibility of local,
nutritious, and culturally appropriate food through food production-focused activities for equity-deserving groups. Funding for this project has been provided by
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada through the Local Food Infrastructure Fund (LFIF). To learn more about the LFIF, visit https://agriculture.canada.ca/en.

Our first GeoDome GreenHouse construction has now been completed. We started our seedlings in the greenhouse and planted them in the field to increase food production capacity. Now the crops are growing and we will monitor production and distribution. We have planted tomatoes, peppers, squash, broccoli, onions, radishes, beets and swiss chard.

As crops grow and are ready for harvesting our distribution process starts. Some crops have already been distributed but many are still in early growth stages.