CHILLIWACK- New Democrat MLAs Dan Coulter and Kelli Paddon provincial funding will support innovative and life changing research at The University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) through the B.C. Knowledge Development Fund (BCKDF)

“As impacts from climate change have become more severe, berry farmers have suffered across the province but especially here in the Fraser Valley,” said Dan Coulter, MLA for Chilliwack. “This research being done at the University of the Fraser Valley won’t just benefit farmers, but people across the province who enjoy delicious B.C. berries.”

The Berry Environmental Resilience Research and Innovation (BERRI) Lab at UFV’s Chilliwack campus is receiving $617,125 from the grant. The BERRI lab is a 980 square foot facility outfitted with state-of-the-art technology and will help researchers in their work to understand how berry systems adapt to climate challenges to help address food security issues and strenthgen B.C.’s position as a global leader in sustainable berry production.

Berries may be small, but we know our berry farmers have a big impact on food security and local economies in B.C.,” said Kelli Paddon, MLA for Chilliwack-Kent. “There’s nowhere better than the UFV & the Fraser Valley for this amazing research, that will help our berry farmers increase resilience to climate change and strengthen B.C’s important agricultural sector.”

These grants are provided through the B.C. Knowledge Development Fund, which helps grow the economy by improving B.C.’s productivity and competitiveness. This year, the provincial government is providing more than $52 million to support infrastructure for 25 research projects at five post-secondary institutions.

Learn More: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2024JEDI0018-000473