机构与起源
加拿大 艾尔伯特省温室种植者协会（Alberta Greenhouse Growers Association，简称 AGGA）成立于 1983 年，是加拿大阿尔伯塔省温室作物种植者、教育工作者与同行业贸易从业者的省级非营利自治组织，总部位于埃德蒙顿。作为加拿大第四大温室种植者协会，AGGA 现有约 37 户会员种植者，覆盖约 565 英亩温室面积，年农场门销售额超 4 亿加元，支撑约 3,500 个全职与 1,500 个兼职就业岗位，会员类型涵盖观赏植物、蔬菜、种苗与大麻等多种业态温室。协会长期代表行业参与阿尔伯塔省农业与食品部、阿尔伯塔园艺产业理事会（CAHI）、阿尔伯塔农业食品理事会（AAFC）与加拿大园艺理事会（CHC）等多方政策平台，是阿尔伯塔受控环境种植业的核心代言机构。
使命与职能
协会宗旨为通过促进与加强阿尔伯塔省温室产业来服务会员，重点塑造受控环境种植者与同行业贸易从业者间的合作形象、提升公众对受控环境产业的认知、与园艺产业其他领域建立合作关系、推动产业教育与科研发展、并作为资源协助会员开展营销活动。协会职能涵盖开展种植者教育研讨会、资助温室产业研究项目、出版季度通讯提供产业研究与政策动态、协助制定与园艺相关的农业政策，并在 CAHI、AAFC、阿尔伯塔农业与食品部等理事会与机构中代表行业发声。协会持续出版季度《Greenhouse Chat》通讯，订阅会员均能同步获取温室种植技术、政策与营销资讯。
会员与服务
AGGA 会员资格向任何支持协会宗旨的个人、企业或组织开放，会员年度会费于每年 9 月 30 日到期，年度大会（AGM）期间通常提供宽限期。会员可享受六大类福利：在影响产业政策时拥有代表权（含天然气回扣、灾害救助、税务、电力成本等议题）、参与省内外教育项目与绿业展会（GISC）享受折扣、获得温室种植与营销研究项目的直接参与渠道、获取季度通讯与区域作物报告等产业信息、加入加拿大园艺理事会与阿尔伯塔专业园艺种植者大会基金会等行业联络平台、以及为种植者子女提供一千加元年度奖学金。协会当前重点研究项目包括辣椒研究、NSERC 生物防治网络、蓟马防治与新型栽培基质等方向，会员可通过项目资助与实物贡献直接参与。
奖项与教育
协会设立四项年度奖项与教育项目：Herb Knodel 奖以 1940 年代起即在阿尔伯塔省医药帽地区为温室议题奔走、于 2000 年去世的先驱者命名，授予对阿尔伯塔温室产业作出杰出贡献的种植者；功绩服务奖授予在研究领域作出重要贡献的非种植者；年度种植者奖由同业评选，表彰在温室生产与零售中展现创新与勤奋的会员；年度一千加元奖学金面向父母为 AGGA 种植者会员的全日制高校学生，每年 10 月 15 日为申请截止日。2026 年温室种植者研讨会系列于 2 月至 6 月每周一晚 7 至 9 点以 Zoom 虚拟形式举行，由 Dr. Mohyuddin Mirza 与协会主席 Michiel Verheul 共同主持，年度绿业展会与大会（GISC）则在红鹿市举办，联合会后颁奖典礼与晚宴。
行业动态与展望
2024 年 11 月，AGGA 在医药帽与雷德克利夫地区举行年度会员聚会并庆祝协会四十余年发展历程，协会组织会员走访 Red Hat 合作社、Big Marble Farms、Bevo Farms 与 Chinook Greenhouses 等当地温室，追溯 1960 年代起当地依托天然气与充足光照发展温室蔬菜产业的传统。2025 年聚会计划前往卡尔加里地区。协会董事会每年举行五次会议，其中四次为线上，一次为线下，董事会成员均为志愿任职，重大议题包括依赖外国劳工的劳动力政策与电价、天然气价格及替代能源转型压力。2026 年协会将组织年度被褥植物工作坊、倡导加拿大农业普查参与，并继续推动跨省温室产业研究协作与会员福利更新。
Organization and Origin
The Alberta Greenhouse Growers Association (AGGA), founded in 1983, is a voluntary non-profit membership organization of greenhouse crop growers, educators and allied trades people headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. As the fourth largest greenhouse growers’ association in Canada, AGGA represents approximately 37 grower members across the province, covering roughly 565 acres of greenhouse space with annual farm-gate sales exceeding CAD$400 million and supporting about 3,500 full-time and 1,500 part-time jobs. Membership spans ornamental, vegetable, tree seedling and cannabis greenhouse operations. The association actively represents the industry on the Alberta Agriculture and Food portfolio, the Council of Alberta Horticultural Industries (CAHI), the Alberta Agricultural Food Council (AAFC) and the Canadian Horticultural Council (CHC), serving as the central voice of Alberta’s controlled-environment growing sector.
Mission and Functions
The association’s mission is to serve its members by promoting and strengthening the greenhouse industry in Alberta, working to create a positive image of controlled-environment growing, foster cooperation among growers, allied trades and other horticultural organizations, build affiliations with other sectors of horticulture, strengthen research and education, and assist members with marketing. Functional services include delivering grower workshops and seminars, funding greenhouse research through direction-setting and project grants, publishing a quarterly newsletter with industry research, news, developments and policy updates, helping formulate agricultural policy as it relates to horticulture, and representing the industry on the CAHI, AAFC, Alberta Agriculture and Food and other allied councils. The Greenhouse Chat quarterly newsletter keeps members informed of crop management, marketing, policy and association activities.
Membership and Services
AGGA membership is open to any individual, business or association wishing to advance the association’s mission upon payment of annual dues, which expire on September 30 each year with a customary grace period granted up to and including the date of the Annual General Meeting. Members benefit from six categories of services: a voice in government policy development covering natural gas rebates, disaster relief, taxation, electricity costs and provincial-federal advisory committees; reduced fees for educational programs, the Green Industry Show and Conference (GISC) and provincial production workshops; active participation in research with government agencies consulting on priorities and AGGA offering direct funding and in-kind contributions; information access through quarterly newsletters, regional crop reports, member classifieds, crop management articles and a free Greenhouse Canada Magazine subscription; industry liaison through the Canadian Horticultural Council and the Alberta Professional Horticultural Growers Congress Foundation; and a CAD$1,000 annual scholarship for post-secondary students whose parents are AGGA grower members. Current research initiatives include the pepper study, the NSERC Biocontrol Network, thrip control and new substrates.
Awards and Education
The association administers four annual awards and educational programs: the Herb Knodel Award, named after a Medicine Hat-area grower who began lobbying for greenhouse issues in the 1940s and who passed away in November 2000, recognizing a grower member for outstanding service to the Alberta greenhouse industry; the Meritorious Service Award honouring non-growers for excellent contribution, service and dedication, primarily in research; the Grower of the Year, chosen by peers to recognize a member’s innovation, enterprise, hard work and accomplishments in greenhouse production and retail; and the CAD$1,000 Scholarship Draw for full-time post-secondary students whose parents are AGGA grower members in good standing. The 2026 Greenhouse Chat virtual seminar series runs on Mondays from February through June, 7:00 to 9:00 PM, hosted by Dr. Mohyuddin Mirza and association president Michiel Verheul, while the annual GISC tradeshow and conference is hosted in Red Deer, Alberta, jointly with the landscape industry, including the awards night and dinner.
Industry News and Outlook
In November 2024, AGGA hosted its annual member meet-and-greet in Medicine Hat and Redcliff, celebrating more than 40 years of grower advocacy and fellowship, with tours of Red Hat Co-op, Big Marble Farms, Bevo Farms and Chinook Greenhouses tracing the region’s early-1900s development based on natural gas availability and exceptional light quality for vegetable and ornamental production. The 2025 meet-and-greet is scheduled for the Calgary area. The AGGA board of directors meets five times per year, four virtually and one in person, with all directors serving as volunteers. Ongoing industry priorities include securing foreign-worker program access from Mexico, Jamaica, the Philippines, Thailand and Trinidad, and managing energy pricing alongside the transition to alternative electricity and natural gas sources. AGGA’s 2026 calendar includes a Bedding Plants Workshop at High Q Greenhouses, advocacy for participation in the May 2026 Census of Agriculture, and continued cross-provincial greenhouse research collaboration.
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