Regional Food and Agriculture Strategy
The Regional Food & Agriculture Strategy (RFAS) details regional food and agriculture objectives, issues and opportunities to guide action and foster leadership in developing a resilient food and agriculture system. The RFAS identifies the CRD's role in food and agriculture along with recommendations, associated actions and resourcing requirements. The Food and Agriculture Task Force delivers on the first recommendation of the RFAS with regional, cross-sector relationships working together on identified priorities.
Food and agriculture in the CRD are part of a larger interconnected system that includes planting, irrigation, harvesting, processing, distributing, preparing, marketing and consumption. Managing food waste, soil nutrients, wildlife and invasive species are also integral to the food and agriculture system.
The Food and Agriculture Strategy developed from findings revealed by the 2003 Regional Growth Strategy (RGS) update consultation process. During the public engagement phase of the RGS update, stakeholder groups and members of the public expressed the greatest interest in food and agriculture systems out of all nine sustainability topics. Initially treated as two separate topics, food and agriculture were brought together as inseparable elements for RGS planning processes.
Thanks to the ongoing work being done by the CRD and community partners, the updated 2018 Regional Growth Strategy targets increasing land in food production by 5,000 hectares by 2038. The RFAS and the RGS work in tandem to guide planning and decision making in the region.
Foodlands Access Program and Land Contributions
At their April 10, 2019 meeting, the CRD Board decided to ask municipalities if there is a desire for a foodlands trust and to assess potential municipal lands that could be made available. The resulting Regional Foodlands Access Program Feasibility Study contains recommendations to help address farmland access and increase local food production across the region.
A leading short-term recommendation of the study is to establish a foodlands trust in partnership with a not-for-profit organization using existing publicly owned lands historically used for agricultural purposes. This action helps secure the future of regional agricultural production by providing an opportunity for new and younger farmers to enter the industry and learn from established farmers.