![](/web/20061229010435im_/http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/speccrop/images/spacer.gif) |
|
|
BC Specialty Crops Industry Overview
A special crop in BC is: a new
commodity, a new use for an established commodity, or an
established crop new to another region. They generally are
commodities that are not part of mainstream agriculture, (i.e.
hay production, potatoes, tree fruits, grapes, and grain,
etc.). Examples include Hemp, Ginseng, Sea Buckthorn,
Saint John’s Wort, Sage, Echinacea and Culinary Herbs
These special crops are typically on small
acreage (owned or leased) and often involve some value adding,
with the potential of substantial on farm value adding. They
are mainly organic by choice, but are also organic by default
in most cases as no pesticides are registered.
Special crops fall into non-traditional use
areas such as: aromatherapy, essential oils, herbal medicines,
nutraceuticals, functional foods, fibre, floriculture, craft
products and specialty oils, and generally have little or no
marketing structures in place.
They are harvested or grown in three
systems:
- Wildcrafted, products gleaned entirely
from the forest or grasslands
- Agroforestry, a system where a
combination of forest or forest trees and other crops are
grown together, or
- Entirely field cultivated, with the
grower providing all the inputs.
Excerpt: BCMAL
Farm
Practices, InfoBasket
and About
the Industry
Related Areas:
|
|