| | Under the AESA Annual Conference theme of “Farm Stewardship: Good for Business, Good For Community”, the second day of the March event focused on Landuse and Urban Expansion issues, and their impact on agriculture. “We recognize the issues of landuse and urban sprawl, and addressed these from the sustainability standpoint on the second day of the AESA conference,” explains Bryan. “We invited speakers from all across Canada to talk about how they are addressing landuse issues related to agriculture, from the regulatory through to community action strategies.”
Dr. Rob Greenwood of Memorial University in Newfoundland talked about environmental sustainability and its importance to rural development. He outlined an integrated approach they are using, which links economic, social and environmental components together through network hubs and business networks. Greenwood also emphasized the importance of community capital and understanding all of its components including natural capital (natural resources, ecosystem services, beauty of nature), human and social capital (people, connections) and built capital (human-made material including buildings, equipment, information and infrastructure).
A panel focusing on local landuse planning in Alberta was addressed by Holly Mayer of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Harry Harker of Red Deer County and Harvey Buckley a Cochrane rancher. “They addressed municipal issues, development of land trusts and emphasized making wise landuse decisions based on the best use of land, which can be difficult with urban sprawl, fragmentation of agricultural lands and the demands of other industries such as forestry, oil and gas,” says Bryan. “The reminder is land is a finite resource that cannot be reclaimed from other land uses.”
Examples from other parts of Canada included a discussion of strategies in Ontario by Wayne Caldwell of University of Guelph, and an overview of the Agricultural Land Commission of BC, presented by Kirk Miller General Manager. The conference concluded with a presentation by local Rimbey rancher, Brenda Schoepp who provided an overview of how environmental sustainability is an important goal of their operation and discussed the real value of sound environmental practice.
Overall, conference participants were very pleased with the conference, and appreciated the opportunity to hear from a broad range of speakers from various walks of life who are all committed to environmental sustainability. Participants found the opportunity to meet new people, share ideas and learn from others to be very valuable. The planning committee is already working on a theme for next year’s conference.
To view presentations from the 2005 AESA Conference visit the AESA Program website at www.AESA.ca and click on the “About AESA” tab on the home page. |
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