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) |