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The Atlantic Institute for Digital Agriculture (AIDA) will lead the transformation of agriculture in Atlantic Canada through cutting-edge technology and data-driven innovation. AIDA will bridge academia, industry, and government to accelerate the development and adoption of sustainable agricultural technologies, enhancing food security and economic growth across the region.
Located within º£½ÇÉçÇøapp’s Faculty of Agriculture, AIDA brings together experts in precision agriculture, robotics, AI, aquaculture, and more to drive impactful research and training. The Institute will support high-value food production using smart farming tools like IoT sensors, drones, and big data analytics, while reducing environmental impact and boosting productivity.
With advanced labs, infrastructure projects, and a growing team of world-class researchers, AIDA is set to position Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canada as global leaders in sustainable digital agriculture.Â
Our research projects and initiatives
The Atlantic Institute for Digital Agriculture (AIDA) is focused on advancing sustainable food systems through digital agriculture. Its research is built on five foundational pillars:Â
Precision agriculture
AIDA promotes resource-efficient farming using technologies like soil sensors, satellite imagery, and AI. This pillar supports sustainable crop and livestock production, improves land use, and contributes to Canada's net-zero emissions goals.
Robotics, automation & artificial intelligence
This pillar explores smart technologies—such as autonomous vehicles, drones, and AI-powered robots—to automate labor-intensive tasks, address workforce shortages, and enhance productivity and sustainability in agriculture.
Data-driven management
AIDA leverages big data and IoT to optimize farm operations. Smart farms across Atlantic Canada will collect and analyze data to improve decision-making, crop yields, and resource use, while supporting economic growth and innovation.
Human-computer interface
Recognizing barriers to technology adoption, AIDA focuses on farmer education, policy advocacy, and user-friendly tools. It aims to bridge the gap between advanced technologies and practical farm applications through outreach and tailored solutions.
Knowledge mobilization & capacity building
AIDA emphasizes the importance of technology adoption for real-world impact. Collaborations with social scientists, government extension teams, and industry partners ensure effective knowledge transfer and support for producers
Our team
Scientific Advisory Committee
Dr. Travis Esau is the director of the Atlantic Institute for Digital Agriculture and a Professor in the Department of Engineering. He leads the Agricultural Mechanized Systems Research Lab, which is focused on designing and developing advanced engineering solutions and precision agriculture technologies to enhance farm productivity, profitability, and sustainability. Traditional agricultural farming is not sustainable and therefore requires new engineering advancements to remain competitive in both local and global markets. Increased discovery and innovation are necessary to bridge the knowledge gap, enabling the development of new technologies and traceability protocols that enhance farm efficiency and promote the effective use of environmental resources.
Dr. Gumataw Kifle Abebe is an Associate Professor at º£½ÇÉçÇøapp University’s Faculty of Agriculture. Dr. Abebe’s research focuses on the complex and dynamic challenges within food production, distribution, and consumption, applying interdisciplinary approaches to enhance sustainability, efficiency and resilience in agri-food systems. His work integrates insights from economics, consumer behaviour, and supply chain management to develop innovative, data-driven solutions that support sustainable food systems.
Dr. Ahmad Al-Mallahi is an Associate Professor at º£½ÇÉçÇøapp University’s Faculty of Agriculture and the New Brunswick Potato Industry Research Chair.  Dr. Al-Mallahi works to develop and deploy sensing and automation systems that tackle issues of sustainable crop production under changing climate and demographic realities. His current projects include development of AI-based smart spraying systems, contactless nutrient sensing, wireless potato storage quality mapping.Â
Professor Stanley Asah, a Conservation Psychologist, is a Tier I Canada Research Chair in Social Dimensions of Cleaner Technologies.
His research is in the domain of influencing environmentally significant behaviors. He uses social-psychological principles and complex adaptive system thinking to inform efforts, to initiate, direct, and sustain those behaviors.
Focal areas include the adoption, diffusion, retention, and mal/adaptive use of cleaner technologies, including climate smart agricultural technologies and technical practices; social impacts and social life cycle analyses of the production and use of cleaner technologies, social acceptability and social license to establish and operate cleaner technologies; social justices associated with the adoption, diffusion and use of cleaner technologies; and the configuration and analyses of sociotechnical systems—structure, function, scenarios and transition dynamics.Â
Dr. Israat Haque is an Associate Professor in º£½ÇÉçÇøapp University’s Faculty of Computer Science where she leads the Programmable and Intelligent Networking (PINet) Lab. Her research focuses on leveraging network programmability to design high-performance, secure and dependable systems for AI, Big Data, 5G/6G and IoT networks. She is also interested in applying data-driven and reinforcement learning techniques to address practical challenges in cloud, IoT, and telecommunication systems.
Her leadership and research excellence has been recognized through numerous awards, including the ACM/IEEE N2Women Rising Star Award (2021), Intel Research Award (2022), Digital Nova Scotia Thinking Forward Award (2022), and the University of Alberta Alumni Honour Award (2024).Â
Dr. Brandon Heung is an Associate Professor and the Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Digital Soil Mapping & Informatics. He is affiliated with º£½ÇÉçÇøapp University’s , specializing in digital soil mapping (DSM) and pedometrics.Â
Dr. Heung’s research focuses on advancing DSM techniques for soil mapping, digital soil assessments for land management, and spatiotemporal modeling of soil processes. Since 2018, he has Co-Chaired the Canadian Digital Soil Mapping Working Group of the Canadian Society of Soil Science and has been actively building capacity in DSM research and coordinating national mapping efforts. He also leads a national initiative to build the , which will modernize Canada’s soil data infrastructure and thereby enhancing data accessibility and reducing soil testing costs.
Dr. Yunfei Jiang is an Assistant Professor in Agronomy and Crop Physiology at º£½ÇÉçÇøapp University’s Faculty of Agriculture. Her research focuses on enhancing field crop production with an emphasis on environmental and economic sustainability.  Dr. Jiang has secured approximately $500,000 in funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and Research Nova Scotia to establish a precision agronomy lab.Â
Tracy Kittilsen, P. Ag. is the Manager of Extended Learning at the Faculty of Agriculture, where she leads a team that bridge industry training, academic programming, community engagement, and international development – all with a focus on a sustainable and dynamic agriculture sector.
Tracy is a strong advocate for lifelong learning and workforce development, advancing industry training programs and flexible learning pathways that equip learners with the skills needed to thrive in today’s evolving agricultural landscape. Her work reflects a commitment to adult education and knowledge mobilization - integrating partnerships and innovation into education and outreach, helping position the Faculty of Agriculture as a leader in skills development and sustainable food systems.
Dr. Rebecca Meagher is interested in the effects of housing and management on the welfare and behaviour of farmed animals. Her current focus is primarily on dairy cattle and mink, looking at the effects of the social environment and environmental enrichment, especially in early life, on emotional states, indicators of stress, cognition, and productivity. This can involve digital technologies where they can be used to non-invasively monitor behaviour and performance, and when animals are being asked to interact with automated systems. The ultimate goals of her work are to improve methods of welfare assessment, and determine what stimuli need to be provided to animals to improve well-being on farms.
Dr. Gordon Price leads the Innovative Waste Management research group at the Faculty of Agriculture, focuses on cutting-edge research in organic waste management, climate change and environmental sustainability.Â
The research program emphasizes sustainable soil and environmental management, building unique solutions for bioconversion and valorization of organic materials generated from agriculture, industry, or municipalities, and training students to become skilled thinkers and adept scientists. This is a regional laboratory within the Global Soil Laboratory Network that is part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
Dr. Emmanuel Yiridoe is a professor at º£½ÇÉçÇøapp University’s Faculty of Agriculture. He was awarded Distinguished Agrologist Award by the Nova Scotia Institute of Agrologists in 2023 for his contributions to scholarship and the agricultural industry and profession in Canada. He has served as president of the Canadian Agricultural Economics Society. In addition, he has served as Department Chair, and Associate Dean (Academic). His recent research and outreach include issues about the economics of precision agriculture (mechanization and automation), economics of digital agriculture, economics of climate change in agriculture, agribusiness economics, and economics of renewable energy systems.
Dr. Qamar Zaman is a professor of precision agriculture at º£½ÇÉçÇøapp University’s Faculty of Agriculture and vice-chancellor of the University of Arid Agriculture Rawalpindi, in Pakistan. Dr. Zaman has over 25 years of experience in teaching, research, and extension in precision agriculture.
Dr. Zaman is a pioneer in the field of Precision Agriculture and has received US and Canadian Patents for the invention of his Variable Rate Sprayer System and Method of Variably Applying Agrochemicals. He received the prestigious Glenn Downing Award, the Lifetime achievement Maple Leaf award and the Fellow award from the Canadian Society for Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering in recognition of his outstanding work in industry, teaching, research and extension in machinery systems.Â
Dr. Stefanie Colombo, Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair, Aquaculture Nutrition at º£½ÇÉçÇøapp University’s Faculty of Agriculture. The overall goal of Dr. Colombo’s research is to discover novel solutions in nutrition to improve aquaculture and contribute toward healthier, environmentally sustainable, and economically viable farmed seafood. She has particular interest in understanding the mechanisms of fatty acid biosynthesis in fish to increase tissue storage of essential fatty acids, for optimal fish health and for human consumption. Â