1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The District of Lake Country Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC) is pleased to present this draft Community Agriculture Plan on behalf of the agricultural industry in Lake Country. Comments and enquiries about the Plan should be directed to the Chair of the Committee as indicated below. The Committee would like to thank the Investment Agriculture Foundation, the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands and the District of Lake Country for their financial support for the preparation of this plan. Special thanks are extended to Karen McKay of the District staff who performed many support tasks on behalf of the planning team. To the members of the agricultural community who attended meetings or interviews and gave willingly of their time and knowledge to make this plan possible, the Committee is most grateful. Thanks is also extended to those citizens of Lake Country who may not be directly involved with the agricultural industry but who cared enough about it to participate in meetings and discussions. There is now much to do. But, there is a sense of optimism for the future. The stage is set to continue the development of a profitable agricultural industry in Lake Country. The recommendations in this report were reached using the knowledge and experience of producers involved in the industry and others who provided comments and input. The report was prepared by Don Cameron Associates1 and the Project Steering Committee on behalf of the District of Lake Country AAC. The AAC extends its thanks to Don Cameron Associates. Please direct comments and enquiries about this report to: Roger Bailey, Chair Lake Country Agricultural Advisory Committee District of Lake Country Steering Committee Members: Penny Gambell, Chair Roger Bailey Keith Duhaime, Agriculture Support Officer, Central Okanagan Regional District Catherine Henderson Carl Withler, BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands Quentin Wyne 1 See Appendix 8.2 for listing of the consultant team Lake Country Community Agriculture Plan 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................ 2 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY................................................................................. 6 2.1 GUIDING PRINCIPLES .........................................................................................7 2.2 VISION AND GOALS ...........................................................................................7 2.3 STRATEGIES.....................................................................................................9 3 LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS.................................................................... 11 4 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................... 17 4.1 PURPOSE OF THE PLAN ....................................................................................18 4.2 THE IMPORTANT PLANNING QUESTIONS ..............................................................19 4.3 RELATIONSHIP AMONG THE PLANNING TERMS ......................................................19 4.4 STEPS IN DEVELOPING THE PLAN.......................................................................19 5 BACKGROUND AND CURRENT SITUATION.................................................. 20 5.1 LAKE COUNTRY AGRICULTURE IN PERSPECTIVE ...................................................20 5.1.1 Historical Background ...............................................................................20 5.1.2 Some Aspects of Lake Country Today.......................................................21 5.1.3 The Mayor’s Task Force on Agriculture .....................................................21 5.1.4 Official Community Plan Survey and Meetings .........................................23 5.1.5 Some Perspectives from Other Jurisdictions..............................................24 5.2 POLICY CONTEXT ............................................................................................25 5.2.1 National Agricultural Policy Framework ....................................................25 5.2.2 Provincial Agricultural Policy .....................................................................26 5.2.3 The Agricultural Land Reserve ..................................................................27 5.2.4 Allocation and Licencing of Water .............................................................30 5.2.5 Farm Practices Protection Act ....................................................................31 5.2.6 Land Title Act ............................................................................................31 5.2.7 Local Government Act................................................................................32 5.2.8 The Official Community Plan .....................................................................32 5.2.9 Zoning Bylaw and Subdivision and Servicing Bylaw................................34 5.3 FARMS IN LAKE COUNTRY ................................................................................34 5.4 CLIMATE IMPACT ON AGRICULTURE....................................................................36 5.5 SOILS ...........................................................................................................38 5.6 IRRIGATION AND WATER SYSTEMS .....................................................................40 5.7 AGRICULTURAL CAPABILITY ..............................................................................43 5.8 SWOT ANALYSIS FOR LAKE COUNTRY ................................................................45 5.8.1 Strengths of the Industry...........................................................................45 5.8.2 Weaknesses of the Industry......................................................................45 5.8.3 Opportunities for the Industry ...................................................................46 5.8.4 Threats to the Survival of the Industry......................................................47 6 THE FUTURE OF AGRICULTURE IN LAKE COUNTRY................................... 47 6.1 OVERVIEW.....................................................................................................47 6.2 GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF THE PLAN ....................................................................51 6.3 VISION AND GOALS .........................................................................................52 6.4 STRATEGY – ORGANIZED FOR INVOLVEMENT.......................................................53 6.4.1 The Agricultural Advisory Committee ........................................................53 6.4.2 Community and Agriculture Development Commission.............................55 6.4.3 Water Services Advisory Committee..........................................................56 6.4.4 Resources for Implementation ...................................................................57 6.5 STRATEGY – QUALITY AND EXCELLENCE .............................................................58 6.5.1 The Concept of Excellence .........................................................................58 6.5.2 Education, Training and Research ............................................................59 6.5.3 A Brand for Lake Country Agriculture.......................................................60 6.6 STRATEGY – INDUSTRY PROFITABILITY THROUGH COMMITMENT..............................61 6.6.1 A Commitment to the Agricultural Land ....................................................61 6.6.2 A Commitment to Water Availability..........................................................63 6.7 STRATEGY – INDUSTRY PROFITABILITY THROUGH DIVERSIFICATION AND PRODUCTION .............................................................................................................67 6.7.1 Diversification............................................................................................68 6.7.2 Encouraging Local Sales............................................................................69 6.7.3 Community Supported Agriculture Programs ............................................70 6.7.4 Inputs and Support....................................................................................71 6.8 STRATEGY – COMMUNICATION AND COOPERATION ................................................73 6.8.1 Communication Channels to Address Issues ............................................73 6.8.2 Agricultural Awareness and Industry Public Identity ...............................75 6.8.3 Cooperation with the District.....................................................................76 7 IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY ................................................................... 77 7.1 ROLE OF THE COMMUNITY AGRICULTURE PLAN....................................................77 7.2 MONITORING AND REVIEW PROCESS ..................................................................78 7.3 IMPLEMENTING THE SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS...............................................79 7.3.1 Organized for Involvement.........................................................................80 7.3.2 Quality and Excellence..............................................................................80 7.3.3 Industry Profitability Through Commitment ..............................................81 7.3.4 Industry Profitability Through Diversification and Production...................82 7.3.5 Communication and Cooperation ..............................................................82 8 APPENDICES .............................................................................................