Supporting B.C. Farmers

Engagement Summary

Over the past year, government has updated legislation to revitalize the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) and Agricultural Land Commission (ALC). These legislative changes aim to further encourage farming and ranching in British Columbia and strengthen the independence of the ALC so it can better fulfill its mandate of encouraging farming and protecting farmland.

The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for policies related to the production, marketing, processing and merchandising of agricultural products and food, and through legislation, protects 4.6 million hectares of farmland in British Columbia. Because of these responsibilities, the ministry asked for your opinions and ideas about how to better support farmers, encourage farming and keep farmland available for farming.

We heard from British Columbians on how best to move forward by asking for your insight and opinions on how we can best:

• support farmers and ranchers in the ALR to expand and diversify their businesses;
• help new or young farmers become established on the land and in business; and,
• ensure there is flexibility for residential options while prioritizing agriculture in the ALR.

For more information, visit the Ministry of Agriculture Page.

Engagement Timeframe

September 19, 2019 to November 15, 2019

Input Received

• A total of 613 British Columbians registered to participate in the eight in-person sessions located throughout the province.
• In addition, the ministry received:
• 1,580 online survey submissions;
• 87 personal submissions; and
• 19 formal submissions from associations, institutes and local governments.

Input leads to action:

The feedback received will help the provincial government encourage farming, protect farmland in B.C. and may determine other potential actions that should be developed or consulted upon. Read the What We Heard Report that summarizes feedback received during this engagement.