Regional Agriculture Strategy

A Regional Agriculture Strategy (RAS) is a non-statutory plan that develops a shared vision, goals, and actions for supporting food and agriculture systems amongst producers, the public, local government, Indigenous governments and other key players within the Regional District. A Regional Agriculture Strategy focuses on a region's farm sector to discover practical solutions to challenges, identify opportunities to strengthen farming and ultimately contribute to agriculture and the community's long-term sustainability. The RAS is the first-ever of its kind for the Regional District of Fraser Fort George. The purpose of the RAS is to guide and support agriculture and farming for all seven electoral areas within the region. The RAS provides a 20-year vision for agriculture with short, medium and long-term actions identified to strengthen and grow the food and agriculture sector. 

RAS Objectives

Key objectives guiding the RAS development process: 

1. Engage the agricultural community, external organizations, local governments and provincial agencies to in identifying a vision, goals, recommendations, and implementation actions that will strengthen and support the agriculture sector.
2. Connect with Indigenous governments to understand the regional Indigenous history surrounding agriculture, and to identify potential opportunities for strengthening relationships through meaningful partnerships.
3. Encourage collaboration between the Regional District and the agriculture community, industry associations, member municipalities, external organizations and provincial agencies to advance agriculture in the region.
4. Develop an implementation plan that contributes to the long-term environmental, social, and economic sustainability of agriculture within the region. 

Why create a RAS?

The three main reasons for developing the RAS and establishing a regional role and approach to food and agriculture systems: 

1. Help ensure that food and agriculture systems are strong for current and future generations.
2. Capture new and emerging market opportunities that the RD can work to support.
3. Provide additional linkages and ways to support the implementation of the BNFFG Climate Adaptation Strategy and other RDFFG initiatives. 

RAS Vision and Goals

The vision of the RAS is for food and agriculture systems in the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George to be resilient, prosperous and connected. The Regional Agriculture Strategy identifies 30 action-oriented recommendations to support this vision under five goal areas: 

 

View the Regional Agriculture Strategy

 

Questions? Contact Kenna Jonkman, General Manager of Development Services, at 250-960-4400. 

 

The RDFFG Regional Agriculture Strategy is funded in part by the Local Government Partnership Program, with funding provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the Government of British Columbia through programs delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC. The RAS is also funded by the RDFFG and is being supported by Urban and Regional Food Strategies in association with Upland Agricultural Consulting.