Photo by snopek on Flickr

The Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) is a provincial land use zone that prioritizes agriculture and is managed and maintained by the Agricultural Land Commission (ALC).  Despite all the press the ALR has been receiving lately, there hasn’t been enough of an emphasis on the science that is the foundation of the ALR, and the voice of the ALC itself has hardly been heard.  While speculation abounds, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that these are dark times for farmland.

The ALR was established using science based decisions, in particular the use of Biophysical Information was paramount in the development of the ALR.  Even then, the Chair recognized the ALC’s limited ability to review applications, boundaries and enforce appropriate land use.  This has only increased with time as the ALC has been subdivided regionally.

The ALR is indeed a “Work in Progress”, acknowledging that as land mapping and technology improved, so too did the ALR.  The ALC has been responsive in adopting innovative ways of carrying out its mission, from reevaluating boundaries to providing resources that encourage Planning for Agriculture.  For forty years, the ALC has supported, maintained, and defended the ALR.  Reviews are in progress that could shape the capabilities of the ALC and public consultation has been decidedly lacking (for example, this agreement between the Oil and Gas Commission and the ALC, signed in June).  Our Minister of Agriculture has been given a mandate to balance the preservation of farmland with economic development, running contrary to the core principles of the ALC.  With increasing global food insecurity, water shortages and energy expenses, now is not the time to ignore decades of research in hopes of short term economic gains.  Now is the time to strengthen our local food production capacity by supporting farmers and farmland, as citizens and policy makers of British Columbia.

Without the courage to hold firm, with stakes in the ground, there will be no incentive to better manage our land base in the face of competing uses. We must halt the slow, but steady erosion of our agriculture and food resources, and support our varied agricultural industries. As a forward thinking society, we must dig in, take responsibility, and make sure that future generations have a vibrant agricultural land base.

-Moura Quayle, Stakes in the Ground
Dean, UBC Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
September 25, 1998

Here’s a Change.org petition to sign if you’d like to show your support for the ALR.

A look at how things have played out in recent years:

1. November 2010: ALC Chair Richard Bullock submits a Review of the ALC with strategic visioning.  Bullock highlights fiscal constraints and concerns over land speculation.  He emphasizes that the ALR must put agriculture first.
2. August 2012: ALC Chair revisits his review in his first Message from the Chair.  Bullock describes how the ALC is moving forwards on the strategic visioning and expresses gratitude for support from the Auditor General.
3. November 2012: ALC Chair releases an Overview of Oil and Gas Development in the ALR.  Bullock describes the intended temporary nature of OCG activities on ALR land as well as the increased impact of OCG activities on ALR over time.  He emphasizes that delegating responsibility to the OCG must be undertaken with caution in order to uphold the mandate of the ALC.
4. October 2013: ALC releases a second Message from the Chair.  Bullock outlines the effective changes the ALC has made to carry out their strategic vision and recommendations from the Auditor General.  Despite these efforts, the ALR is still threatened by competing land use and Partisan politics, noting that “Partisan political decision-making by the ALC would be illegal and would bring the entire regulatory scheme into disrepute“.
5. November 2013: The BC Food Systems Network released a 7 page Media Backgrounder supporting their news release.  The authors reiterate the role and purpose of the ALC, and support concerns that changes proposed by the Minister of Agriculture would weaken the ALC and threaten the future of farming in British Columbia.

Image by Flickr user Digging For Fire