CAN: UM Research to improve nutrition in Northern Manitoba receives new federal support

More than $4.4 million in project funding was announced today in support of 120 UM research proposals through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

Dr. Miyoung Suh, a Professor in the Department of Food and Human Nutritional Sciences, has received a Discovery Horizon Grant, placing her among the top 15 selected across Canada. The grant supports AI upgrades to the community-driven SMART-VF vertical farming initiative in Opaskwayak Cree Nation.

Started as a pilot project in 2016 with just seven plants, the high-tech northern farm now occupies 830 square feet, with capacity for more than 5,000 plants. This new funding of $250,000 over 5 years for Suh and her UM colleagues Dr. Young Jin Cha, Civil Engineering, Dr. Qiang Zhang, Biosystems Engineering and Dr. Champa Wijekoon, Agriculture Agri-Food Scientist.

Suh is a co-lead of the SMART Training Platform, funded by the Tri-Agency Council Healthy Cities Research Initiative alongside Dr. David Ma (University of Guelph) and Dr. Laurette Dube (McGill University). Suh’s UM project aims to address the high rates of diabetes in the northern Manitoba with improved year-round access to fresh produce. SMART-VF produces more than 40 types of vegetables and herbs which can be further enhanced with nutrient-enrichment with bioactive compounds, known for their anti-diabetic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Read more at umanitoba.ca