‘A significant milestone’
Farming community now has a plan for taking action on climate change.
A
new resource is now available to help British Columbia’s agriculture sector address the challenges and opportunities associated with climate change. In October, the B.C. Agriculture Council (BCAC) and the Investment Agriculture Foundation (IAF) unveiled the B.C. Agriculture Climate Change Action Plan.
The organizations say completion of the plan is a significant milestone for B.C. agriculture.
“The action plan outlines a number of strategies and actions that will support innovation across British Columbia’s diverse agriculture sector,” says BCAC chair Garnet Etsell. “Together with our many partners in both industry and government, we can now move to the next and more important stage – implementation.” The 55-page industry-led plan was developed during the last two years. Climate change adaptation and mitigation are the two main areas of focus. Topics cover farm practices and greenhouse gas emissions, energy and fuel efficiency, and clean energy production.
The plan was completed through the B.C. Agriculture and Food Climate Action Initiative. Launched in 2008, the initiative is a partnership between the B.C. Agriculture Council and the Investment Agriculture Foundation, and driven by an advisory committee of producers, processors and various government representatives. “Agriculture is taking climate change seriously and is one of the first sectors to develop a sector-specific climate action plan,” says IAF chair
Stuart Wilson. “IAF is pleased to support industry in developing this comprehensive strategy on the impacts of climate change and climate policy.”
BCAC will take the lead on implementing the three-year plan. An energy efficiency pilot project is already underway involving several partners – including Terasen Gas and B.C. Hydro – and is conducting high- level energy assessments on 25 farms across the province.
Funding for the B.C. Agriculture and Food Climate Action Initiative was provided by IAF through programs it delivers on behalf of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands.
“This new plan demonstrates the B.C. agriculture sector’s
determination to make farming more
environmentally friendly,” said Minister of Agriculture and Lands Steve Thomson prior to his reappointment as Minister of Natural Resource Operations.
“Our farmers and producers are leaders in environmental stewardship and dedicated to reducing climate change impacts. I applaud the industry’s commitment to innovation.”
The B.C. Agriculture Council is an advocate for the collective interests of B.C.’s farmers and ranchers. The Investment Agriculture Foundation is a not-for-profit organization that invests federal and provincial funds in support of innovative projects to benefit the agriculture and agri-food industries in B.C.
The plan and more information about the initiative are available at:
www.bcagclimateaction.ca
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