City of Abbotsford Agriculture Strategy

Topic	Sub-topic	Policy or Policy Excerpt	Document Location
water management;	water rate for agriculture; ALR;	Decouple rural servicing rates to non-agricultural farmland uses in the ALR from preferential rates in support of agriculture	5.1 ( c)
	zoning; tax mechanisms;	Develop a more contemporary definition of agriculture, with taxation implications, to support market opportunities in the peri-urban region	5.1 (d)
education;	new entrants to farming;	Pursue initiatives to train young people and attract new entrants into agriculture	5.1 (g)
food processing, storage and distribution; development and productive use of agricultural land;	agricultural industry services; ALR;	Facilitate ancillary developments on agricultural lands in the ALR	5.1 (h)
waste management; education;	climate change and greenhouse gases; research and data collection;	Pursue research into processes and technology innovations that address agricultural issues including: management of agricultural by-products, energy production, agricultural responses to climate change, agronomic impacts of gravel extraction, eco-industrial technologies and solutions, agriculture-related problems and science based solutions	5.1 (i)
economic development;	research and data collection;	Utilize the City’s Agricultural Trust fund to further agricultural investment, research and innovation	5.1 (j)
Food sales, access and procurement; economic development;	farmers' markets; agri-tourism;	Pursue strategies to promote the local food system, such as the development of a permanent Farmers Market and other marketing facilities, and integrating agro-tourism into the City’s tourism theme	5.1 (k)
	farm worker accommodation; partnerships/advocacy/liaising;	Work with industry and government agencies to support the employment of seasonal and foreign agricultural workers, with respect to working conditions, accommodations, cultural services and accessibility to workers.	5.1 (l)
	agricultural impact assessment; gravel extraction;	Require agricultural impact assessments and reclamation plans for gravel extraction projects, to be submitted to the City prior to extraction	5.2 (b)
land access;	leasing of land for agriculture;	Support the leasing of farmland (including the existing MLS system) with additional mechanisms (agreement templates, websites and incentives) that identify potential landlords and tenants.	5.2 (c )
development and productive use of agricultural land;	roads in agriclutural land; siting and coverage;	Consider ways of reducing wasteful use of agricultural land for excessive building footprints, access roads, and inappropriate siting	5.2 (f)
development and productive use of agricultural land;	tax mechanisms; residential development;	nvestigate creating a tax classification to tax rural residential at urban residential rates	5.2 (g)
development and productive use of agricultural land;	residential development;	Consider ways of tightening rural residential eligibility for farm classification.	5.2 (h)
waste management;	agricultural industry services;	Consider centralized sites for pursuing industry solutions and enabling farm and processing (organic and non-organic) wastes to be handled together	5.3 (a)
waste management;	waste to energy;	Explore synergies between waste management and energy production	5.3 (b)
waste management;	composting; 'net benefit to agriculture' language; waste to energy;	Support cost efficient waste management solutions (such as anaerobic digestion, gasification, composting, recycling, etc.), provided these solutions offer a net benefit to agriculture and do not negatively impact the environment.	5.3 (c )
waste management;	research and data collection;	Encourage and attract research and investigation into eco-industrial technologies and solutions.	5.3 (d)
	agricultural industry services;	Continue to attract agri-industrial investment to industrial-business lands	5.4 (a)
development and productive use of agricultural land;	agricultural industry services;	In consultation with the ALC, investigate the feasibility of developing agri-industrial uses in the ALR in relation to farms, servicing and transportation infrastructure, and City-led agri-industrial investment policies and initiatives	5.4 (c )
economic development;	research and data collection;	Explore opportunities to attract agri-industrial research, technology, expertise, and funding into the City	5.4 (d)
	agricultural industry services;	Pursue the development of an agri-food technology cluster in the City directly connected to the agricultural production base.	5.4 (g)
water management;	irrigation and drainage;	Encourage farmers to develop irrigation plans to quantify water needs and assist the City in water supply planning	5.5 (a)
urban-agriculture conflict and edge planning; development and productive use of agricultural land;	road in agricultural land; farm traffic; ALR;	Plan transportation corridors in the ALR to facilitate access to farmland, minimize disruptions to farming operations and reducing vehicle conflicts	5.5 (b)
	irrigation and drainage;	Investigate providing infrastructure bundles (water, sewer, electrical, hook-up to the grid) to areas suited/targeted for certain types of agriculture	5.5 (c)
water management;	irrigation and drainage;	Improve the ability of drainage systems to eliminate flooding of agricultural lands from upland storm water runoff.	5.5 (g)
wildlife/environmental/pest management;	wildlife and ecosystem management; BC environmental farm plan;	Promote and support completion of environmental farm plans and use of Beneficial Management Practices (BMPs) to improve agricultural operations and provide environmental benefits	5.6 (a)
water management; policy partnerships, advocacy and development;	irrigation and drainage; partnerships/advocacy/liaising;;	Continue to promote farmer’s interests with agencies regulating maintenance of drainage, irrigation and flood control systems	5.6 (b)
policy partnerships, advocacy and development;	partnerships/advocacy/liaising;;	Designate City staff positions to strengthen understandings and relationships between farmers and government (economic development officer for agriculture, agricultural liaisons)	5.6 (c)
water management; policy partnerships, advocacy and development;	partnerships/advocacy/liaising;;	Involve the City in reviews and processes dealing with agency regulations affecting agriculture and in developing more ‘agriculture-friendly’ protocols for ditch and drainage maintenance	5.6 (d)
education;	partnerships/advocacy/liaising;	Raise awareness of farmers on the requirements of senior legislation (e.g., provide presentations to DDI and ASCA AGMs, prepare brochures, etc.)	5.6 (e)
water management;	irrigation and drainage;	Develop agriculture-friendly scheduling processes to minimize impacts on agriculture and facilitate City access onto private land for the purposes of ditch and drainage maintenance	5.6 (f)
policy partnerships, advocacy and development;	partnerships/advocacy/liaising;;	Create an agricultural variance committee to deal with special circumstances where the City of Abbotsford has jurisdiction	5.6 (g)
education;	community food system education;	Enhance agriculture education at schools	5.7 (a)
urban agriculture; education;	urban gardens/orchard; community food systems education;	Support community gardens and/or urban agriculture demonstration projects and programs that promote agricultural awareness among City residents	5.7 (b)
education;	community food systems education;	Improve local business awareness of agriculture	5.7 (c)
education; economic development;	signage in agricultural areas; community food systems education; agri-tourism;	Create signage that identifies agricultural sub-areas or “neighbourhoods” within the City, what is grown there, among other things, provides directional signage for agri-tourism, and directs motorists to respect farm traffic	5.7 (d)