WHEREAS British Columbia spends 3.3 of the provincial budget to support agriculture compared to the national average of 16.4; AND WHEREAS the Agricultural Land Commission provides strong protection for farmlands but exclusions from populated areas mitigated by inclusions from lesser populated areas remove food production from population bases: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government increase financial support for agriculture consistent with the national average and cease approving any further Agricultural Land Reserve exclusions.
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE LANDS, AGRICULTURE LAND COMMISSION Agriculture in B.C. is very different from agriculture in other provinces such as Saskatchewan. Government support and program payments depend not only on cropcommodity differences, but weather events and disease outbreaks, as well as market challenges and market opportunities. B.C. is unlike most other provinces in that a high proportion of agriculture is in supply managed sectors. These sectors typically do not receive direct government expenditures except in unusual circumstances, such as Avian Influenza. The Agricultural Land Reserve ALR is a provincial land use zone in favour of agriculture administered by the Agricultural Land Commission ALC. The ALR is primarily intended to preserve BCs limited agricultural land base and to provide land use certainty to encourage agricultural businesses. The purposes of the ALC are to preserve agricultural land, to encourage farming and to work with local governments and First Nations at a planning level to enable and accommodate farm use of agricultural land. The ALC recognizes that the ALR should be based on agricultural land capability and suitability for a diverse range of agricultural products. The ALC works closely with local governments to encourage farming on agricultural land as well as in reviewing official community plans, bylaws and other planning documents. On occasion these reviews may prompt a review of the ALR boundaries. In addition, the ALC believes it would be a useful exercise to work with local governments in reviewing the ALR boundaries in certain areas of the province to ensure the boundaries reflect lands that are both capable and suitable for agriculture. Based on the findings of applications the ALC has a particular interest in working with several communities in the northern and eastern parts of the province.