The Ministry of Agriculture is responsible for the production, marketing, processing and merchandising of agricultural products and food, and through its legislation protects 4.6 million hectares of farmland in British Columbia. Because of these responsibilities, the ministry would like to ask for your opinions and ideas about how to better support farmers, encourage farming and keep farmland available for farming.

We need to hear from British Columbians on how best to move forward by asking for your insight and opinions on how we can best:
– Support farmers and ranchers in the ALR to expand and diversify their businesses;
– Help new or young farmers become established on the land and in business; and,
– Ensure there is flexibility for residential options while prioritizing agriculture in the ALR.

Solutions to these challenges are needed now more than ever as farmers face increased risks and unpredictability related to climate change, rising land prices, and pressure to use farm land for non-farm uses. Your ideas are needed so that the agriculture industry in B.C. continues to expand and thrive.
Feedback is invited between September 19, 2019 to November 15, 2019 at 4 pm
During this time, you can share your feedback in several different ways including:
– Attend an in-person meeting 
– Completing the online questionnaire
– Organizations can also make formal submissions that will be posted to the site.

The feedback received will help the Provincial Government encourage farming, protect farmland in B.C. and may determine other potential actions that should be developed or consulted upon.
All comments received online, by mail or email by November 15, 2019, will be reviewed by ministry staff and a ‘What We Heard’ report will then be compiled and released to the public.