Strengthening Farming - Two Components
The Program has two distinct, but strongly related components:
Farm Practices Protection
The Farm Practices Protection (Right to Farm) Act
underpins efforts to protect farm practices. The Act is
founded on the principle that farmers have a right to farm in
the ALR, in licensed aquaculture areas and other areas
designated for farming by local governments.
The right to farm, however, is contingent upon normal farm practices
being used and compliance with other legislation such as the Health,
Pesticide Control, and Waste Management Acts and other land use
regulations.
A key component of farm practice protection is the
creation of fair and balanced processes to consider concerns
about nuisances associated with farm operations. Local
governments, Ministry staff and industry peer advisors continue to
participate in efforts to resolve concerns. The Act, however,
also established a
Farm Industry Review Board
as an
impartial body to consider complaints. The Board uses various
means to resolve issues and it may also study and report on farm
practices in order to improve long-term land use compatibility.
Planning for Agriculture
A second key component of the Program is broadly referred to
as Planning for Agriculture. New legislative tools,
housed in the Local Government Act and Land Title Act
have been designed to provide local governments with the means
to play an important role in ensuring a climate of security and
stability for farming and ranching in their communities.
Opportunities to Plan for Agriculture include:
-
encouraging agricultural land
use inventories and the application of geographic
information system (GIS) technology to increase the
understanding of farm systems and land use relationships;
-
ensuring greater land use
compatibility at the time of urban subdivision next to
farming;
-
encouraging policies in Official
Community Plans (OCPs) aimed at maintaining and enhancing
farming;
-
designating Development Permit
Areas (DPAs) for the protection of farming within OCPs to
improve compatibility;
-
appointing, by local
governments, of agricultural advisory committees;
-
adopting Agricultural Area Plans
in key farming communities;
-
encouraging focused planning at
the urban / farm interface to improve land use compatibility
and ensure a secure operating environment for the farm
industry; and
-
reviewing zoning bylaws and
using farm bylaws to ensure a balanced and positive
regulatory climate that provides opportunity for the growth
of faming and ranching in BC.
Coordination and Support
Coordination of the Strengthening Farming Program is provided
by the
Resource Management Branch of Ministry of Agriculture
and Lands. Some financial
support has been provided through the Province as well as the BC
Investment Agriculture Foundation for “AgFocused” initiatives by
local governments. However, key support has come in the
form of Provincial Agri-Teams as well as the development
of several reports and guides.
The Agri-Teams are key to the Program’s
implementation. Each local government with land in the ALR
has access to a two or three person team made up of Ministry
regional agrologists and the Agricultural Land Commission’s
planning staff. When called upon, Agri-teams work with
local governments to assist with a variety of agricultural
matters including farm area land use inventories, official plan
and bylaw reviews, development of agricultural area plans and
edge planning, awareness building and support for agricultural
advisory committees.
The formation of Agri-Teams underlies the importance placed
upon building strong relationships between local
governments, the farm and ranch sector and the province in
efforts to Strengthen Farming in British Columbia.
 More Information
Strengthening Farming
Program...An Overview (2005)
 [433
kb]
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Source: Statistics Canada, 2001 Census
of Agriculture |
