Current Projects
All Season Green Houses
NOPRI is developing economical systems for producing food through most or all of the year. In the summer of 2016, NOPRI built its first prototype all-season greenhouse. We’ve been iteratively improving since then, with a second greenhouse built in 2017, and two more planned for 2018.
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Cold Hardy Perennials
Perennial agriculture is an effective tool to mitigate climate change. NORPI is developing a cold-hardy nursery to supply those interested in learning about, diversifying and expanding perennial agriculture in Northern Ontario.
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Food Waste Upcycling
NOPRI currently diverts food waste from Manitoulin Island’s landfills and uses this waste stream to raise free-range chicken. NOPRI is looking for funding to expand this program.
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Carbon Sequestration with Biochar
NOPRI is currently prototyping farm-scale biochar kilns. NOPRI will supply biochar and educate on its numerous benefits as soil amendment. Biochar is one of our civilization’s most effective tools for sequestering carbon dioxide in soil. Once in the soil, biochar builds organic matter which makes soil and plants more resilient in the face of extreme weather.
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Permaculture Education
NOPRI’s education programs provide a safe, fun and challenging environment where people of all ages can come for a week or the whole summer to learn about science, technology, sustainability, construction, mechanics, electronics, renewable energy, organic farming and much much more!
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Future Projects
Manitoulin Food Hub
To support the local food economy, NOPRI seeks to establish a food hub on Manitoulin Island. The food hub will serve as a centralized facility coordinating the distribution of food between farmer suppliers and consumers. The food hub will function as an abattoir for chicken, duck and turkey processing and provide an egg grading facility. A shared commercial kitchen will be available for preparing value added products. Refrigerated storage facilities will provide short-term storage space for perishable items.
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