Photo: screenshot of the RésOterres promotional video showing an example of the land and resources they are providing to local agrifood businesses. Photo credit: Screenshot by Sophie Demers

The Centre de Recherche et de Développement Technologique Agricole de l’Outaouais (CREDÉTAO) will be launching their new online platform RésOterres in spring 2024. The platform is described as a business incubator and accelerator, which means it provides support and tools for new and developing companies.

The platform is intended for Outaouais agricultural and agrifood businesses and was based on a l’Ange Gardien incubator platform that was used for 10 years. In 2020, CREDÉTAO decided to expand this platform to other areas in the region. The platform has subsections for each region which focus on the specific agricultural practice found in the area. Specifically, agroforestry for Papineau, livestock for Pontiac, berries for Vallée-de-la-Gatineau, and organic market gardening for L’Ange-Gardien.

The L’ange Gardien platform, which the new larger platform is based on, has proved successful as various businesses in the area benefitted from the support and accompaniment.

“Starting my business at the plateforme de maraîchage des Collines allowed me to focus on

developing my farm without having to make major investments and to learn every day from the other entrepreneurs on site,” said Éric Perron, owner of La Marmaille farm.

RésOterres will allow business owners to rent plots of land in fields, greenhouses, pastures, forests and even productive berry plants for start-ups or companies looking to diversify. The businesses that apply will receive support and training courses. The new platform will offer shared equipment and infrastructure that aims to facilitate the creation of agricultural businesses as well as boost profitability.

“I produce on a small scale and it’s not worth the cost of buying expensive equipment. Sometimes it is not even profitable to harvest all my berries. So, I’m very happy that RésOterres will enable me to rent packaging equipment and infrastructure close to home,” said Antoine Taillon, with Les baies du Bonnet Rouge company.

The project has many partners and collaborators, including the Quebec government, Desjardins banking, Hydro Quebec, and all the MRCs, among others.

CREDÉTAO is a non-profit organization that aims to provide innovation, technology transfer, and entrepreneurship services in the agricultural and agri food sectors. They work with local farmers and partners to promote sustainable development in the Outaouais. More information for businesses is available on their website: https://www.credetao.com/