MARCH 2020 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC
Ag initiatives lack support across regions
BC faces a pressing need for extension specialists, food hubs by TOM WALKER
DUNCAN – A six-member panel at a full-day event prior to the Islands Agriculture Show in Duncan on February 6 highlighted the complex and challenging nature of supporting local agriculture. Expanding the Influence of
Regional Agriculture Support, organized by the Alberni- Clayoquot Regional District, attracted 50 people to the Cowichan exhibition grounds for a morning panel discussion and afternoon workshop. The event grew out of the
regional district’s Systems Change project that seeks to develop a model for regional agriculture support. The panel featured six
representatives from the Kamloops Food Policy Council, Kootenay & Boundary Farm Advisors,
Capital Regional District Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable Society (CRFAIR), Lillooet Agriculture Food Society and the BC Ministry of Agriculture sharing their local experiences.
The discussion made clear that policies aimed at supporting local agriculture depend on a diverse set of individuals with grassroots connections in their communities and a variety of financial sources. There is no continuity in the support available across the province. Heather Shobe, agricultural
support worker with the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, chaired the event. “At the regional level, these
organizations that have come about have developed a high level of expertise and knowledge,” she says. “People
See CORE on next page o Got her goat!
There's no kidding this little girl – spring is just around the corner! While the Pacific Agriculture Show in late January showcases some of the newest equipment and latest technology available to help farmers grow, the petting zoo offers an extremely popular hands-on experience for rural and city youngsters who visit the show. This girl took a shine to a young goat and her mom commented she had been in the pen so long that she wasn't sure how she was going to get her to leave. MYRNA STARK LEADER PHOTO
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