JANUARY 2019 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC


5 One zone shows foresight as BC ag evolves


Climate, new entrants accommodated by new regulations As a rancher in the Central


Interior of British Columbia, I welcome the recent changes


healthy state. Having one zone instead of two will accommodate the changing productivity of those lands.


Viewpoint by LYNDA ATKINSON


to the Agricultural Land Reserve. The changes followed consultation across the province, and the people involved in the advisory committee were all agricultural leaders. The current chair of the Agricultural Land Commission, Jennifer Dyson, had the experience to lead the consultation and is well- regarded. She has the confidence of the agriculture community. As the climate changes and


the BC Interior becomes a more temperate growing zone, the Central Interior plateau where we farm has an increasing ability to produce more food for British Columbia. A recent study noted that there are currently more than 200 agricultural products produced in the theQuesnel area. With only 5% of the BC land mass available for farming, we need to preserve all of that land in a


An influx of people


to BC from across Canada and around the world means greater pressure on communities across


the province which are seeing higher land values in the cities and for agricultural land. With all lands now being treated equally as one zone, the new regulations show the foresight to ensure even treatment as people move into the Interior and northern areas of the province. My hope is that these


changes, including restrictions limiting the size of homes that can be built on these agriculturally significant lands, will reduce speculation and allow younger farmers to acquire enough land to be able to contribute to British Columbia’s food security. In an increasingly complex


world, food security on a national and provincial level is a significant cultural value, and preserving farmland in an undamaged state is important to make sure we have a safe, secure supply of locally grown food over time.


Stopping the dumping of waste on our prime agricultural land is also in the new act. There is a lot of research on the importance of soil, soil organisms and the interaction between growing plants and the soil microbiome, and even the interaction of humans and these organisms. We often think we can always restore these lands if we need to, however, what we often find is that lands that are paved over or used as landfills can never be brought back into good production, certainly not in any economically feasible way. As our society changes, as our economic models change, as malls and parking lots become less of an economic driver, we may see how these


Low Farm Inventory


We receive calls daily from people looking for quality farmland throughout the Okanagan/ Shuswap regions. If you are considering selling your farm, suitable for DAIRY, BEEF OR HORTICULTURE, give me a call for a no-obligation evaluation of your property.


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Personal Real Estate Corporation Royal LePage Downtown Realty Ltd. Farm | Ranch | Residential


Bus: 250/545-5371 (24 hr) Cell: 250/308-0938 patduggan@royallepage.ca


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Wishing all my clients past and present a very Happy New Year!


“Farmers helping farmers with their real estate needs”


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damaged lands and soils can be restored but for now the changes to the ALR help protect what we have and can use today. We’ve given up too much of our very best lands for roads, ports and land settlements.


Farmland for farming


The property next to ours, 1,000 acres, recently sold. The previous owner had the opportunity to sell it to a company that would just park equipment on it or to a young farm family. He made the choice to sell to the young family, even though it meant that he had to carry part of the mortgage. To us, it made all the difference, because the young family became wonderful contributors to our community and real partners in the farming ventures we have in this valley. My hope is that with the help of the ALR regulations and wise farmers like our neighbour, we won’t have to worry about good agricultural land being used


to park equipment or left to lie fallow. By making that one choice, to go with the young farm family, our neighbor gave us and our community a great blessing and a continuation of growing food and community on agriculture land. For the farmers and


ranchers in the interior of this beautiful province, the message we all want to stress is that agriculture drives prosperity, builds community and supports the economy. There is tremendous capacity to increase both agriculture and food processing in this province and to do that we must preserve lands and soils for that production. Lynda Atkinson ranches with her husband Bill in Kersley. She is a vice-president with the Horse Council of BC and represents the equine sector on the BC Agriculture Council’s board of directors. She also represents British Columbia at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.


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