Policies Impacting Food Security in BC

There have been some giant strides in BC to address food insecurity in recent times. These include funding community programs like food banks, community kitchens, food box and community gardens, supporting local farmers' markets and many more.

Successful Initiatives 

The 'Buy BC Program' has been run by the BC Agricultural Council as a successful provincial labelling initiative that enables consumers to identify locally grown agricultural products. The government has invested $6 million in the 'Buy Local Program' helping BC farmers and food producers promote their food products. 

The City of Vancouver is taking measures to support procurement of locally sustainably produced food. Since a couple of years there has also been a pilot project to offer locally sourced foods at Vancouver park and beach concession stands. The Vancouver Food Policy Council (VPFC) is doing further work to put the spotlight on food security, health & well being. The City of Burnaby is also initiating measures to encourage healthy, local food procurement in public buildings.

The Vancouver School Board in partnership with organizations such as think eat green Canada is encouraging food gardens, composting, cooking skills development in schools as well as development of nutritional school meals programs. Burnaby Food First is currently working with school students to support development of more edible gardens in the schools of Burnaby.

ALR for farmland protection

In 2014 the BC Liberal government overhauled the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) creating two zones that will make it easier for non agricultural development on protected farmland outside the most productive regions as reported in the media. The ALR was established in 1973 to protect farmland and relevant concerns have been raised in news reports in the last couple of years to improve protection against external threats. 

Burnaby Food First has also advocated greater protection of agricultural land through suitable government policies in a recent letter to the ministry of Agriculture. The salient points in this letter were as follows;

• The province-wide system of oversight be restored to the Agricultural Land Commission Act and that the ALR be restored to one zone.
• The Agricultural Land Commission provide oversight to all the regulatory changes recently introduced regarding leasing farmland, value added activities and added dwellings on farmland.
• The Agricultural Land Commission be given the mandate and human resources to prevent agricultural land in BC from being turned into carbon-sequestering tree farms. 
• The members of the Commission be farmers or individuals who have a background in agriculture in BC and that the Agricultural Land Commissioner be consulted before appointments are made. 

Thus this article highlights some examples of government and public institutions promoting food security through its policies and programs as well as some areas where more needs to be done. As campaigned by Food Secure Canada, a national food policy would also unite interrelated activities of public bodies, community initiatives, farmers and food industry workers to holistically approach the connected issues of hunger, sustainable food production, climate change and diet.

What we can do

We can participate in different ways to address food security issues such as:

• Sign the Eat Think Vote campaign to raise the need for a National food policy as an election issue 
• Attend a Burnaby Food First workshop or join us!
• Buy local. Shop at Farmer's markets
• Volunteer time or donate to community organizations that work to improve food security (we hope you will consider Burnaby Food First!)

Small changes in lifestyle by all of us in the community can have a large collective impact on food security!

Agricultural Land Commission

Dear Food First-ers:

You may have heard that Richard Bullock has been dismissed by the Province as Chair and CEO of the Agricultural Land Commission. This is a concerning development. To say 'thank you' to Richard you may wish to sign the virtual Thank You card, thanking him for his tireless work protecting agricultural land in B.C. Thanks to Jim Wright from Richmond's Garden City Conservation for creating the card.

To stay on top of this issue as it unfolds be sure to check out the ALR Watch Facebook page or visit the BC Food Systems Network website.

Photo of Richard Bullock
Credit: John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail

Feature: Protecting the Agricultural Land Reserve, Part 2

In a recent proposal, BC Agriculture Minister Pat Pimm argued that the Agricultural Land Commission's (ALC) mandate should be expanded to include economic development priorities such as oil and gas industry and that decision making power over agricultural lands be transferred to the BC Oil and Gas Commission for most of the province.

Source: BC Food Systems Network

What is the Agricultural Land Reserve?

The Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), created in the 1970s, is a provincial zone in which agriculture is recognized as the priority use. Farming is encouraged and non-agricultural uses are controlled.

It covers approximately 4.7 million hectares, including private and public lands that may be farmed, forested or vacant land. Some ALR blocks cover thousands of hectares while others are small pockets of only a few hectares. The ALR comprises those lands within BC that have the potential for agricultural production.

What is the problem?

BC's farmland is scarce, making up less than 5% of the provincial land base. In order to preserve our ability to grow food locally as well as food security, it is essential to protect our farm base and support the farmers who grow our food.

Originally established as a way to defend valuable farmland from large-scale development projects, the ALR has recently been eyed for changes. Development pressures are mounting, especially with the high-profit potential of land development, and these pressures risk removing high-quality farmland from the existing land reserve.

So, what can you do?

Efforts to save the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) call on the provincial government to

• Retain the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) as one zone for the whole province
• Retain the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) as a province-wide, independent administrative body with judicial powers (as it has now)
• Conduct a public consultation process with the ALC and those affected by its decisions -- farmers, ranchers, and the citizens of BC -- provided changes beyond those from 2010 are to be considered

Things you can do to help ensure that the ALR remains intact include the following:

1. Circulate this information to your contacts.
2. Contact your local government representatives, MLA, the Premier, and Ministers Bennett and Pimm and ask them to leave the ALR and ALC alone.
3. Copy your MP on your letters and emails.
4. Like and post to the ALR Watch Facebook page.
5. Like and post to the Farmland Protection Coalition Facebook page.
6. Organize a town hall meeting to promote discussion and action about farmland protection: the BCFSN and organizations above can help!
7. Sign the online petition Premier Christy Clark: Hands off BC’s Agricultural Land Commission at change.org
8. Get signatures on petitions in your community (each petition can be brought up in the Legislature).

Missed Protecting the Agricultural Land Reserve, Part 2? Read it here.

Want to find out more? Visit one of these sites for more information.

BC Food Systems Network, Protecting the Agricultural Land Reserve

Provincial Agricultural Land Commission

The Province, "Shrinking farmland"
The Province, "Farmland advocates warn B.C.’s Agricultural Land Reserve is under threat from large-scale development"
BC Food Systems Network, "14 Reasons Why Food Security is Important"

Feature: Protecting the Agricultural Land Reserve, Part 1

In November 2013, news media reports outlined government threats to the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) and the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC).

Source: BC Food Systems Network

A recent proposal by BC Agriculture Minister Pat Pimm argued that the ALC's mandate should be expanded to include economic development priorities such as oil and gas industry and that decision making power over agricultural lands be transferred to the BC Oil and Gas Commission for most of the province.

The Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) is a provincial zone in which agriculture is recognized as the priority use. Farming is encouraged and non-agricultural uses are controlled. The ALR covers approximately 4.7 million hectares, encompassing private and public lands that may be farmed or forested or vacant land. Some ALR blocks cover thousands of hectares, while others are small pockets of only a few hectares.

Advocates for BC’s Agricultural Land Reserve will gather this weekend to discuss how to save the province’s shrinking farmland. With condos today more profitable than corn, pressure is mounting to pull agricultural land out of the ALR for lucrative development.

BC’s farmland is scarce, less than 5% of the provincial land base. In an age when we must grow as much food as we can locally, preservation of farmland is crucial. In an emergency that cut off our province's imported food supply, we could be in trouble very fast.

Visit again next week for more details on the Agricultural Land Reserve and the continuing efforts to protect existing farmlands.

Want to find out more? Visit one of these sites for more information.

BC Food Systems Network, Protecting the Agricultural Land Reserve

Provincial Agricultural Land Commission

The Province, "Shrinking farmland"