Water-Centric Planning

LAND, WATER AND FOOD SECURITY ARE ONE AND THE SAME: “Long story short, as a nation, we need to get our act together to ensure there is enough land to respond to the demands of a growing population,” stated Danielle Synotte, executive director of the B.C. Agriculture Council

December 8, 2024 - Posted in State of Water in British Columbia, Watershed Security Strategy

Perfect storm threatens the future of B.C.’s farms and ranches

“At first glance, a growing Canada should translate to a growing market for regional agricultural products. But the challenges for farmers and ranchers are many, and the issues are particularly compounded in BC,” wrote Danielle Synotte, executive director of the B.C. Agriculture Council, in an opinion piece published in the Vancouver Sun on December 4, 2024.

To Learn More:

To read the complete article, download a PDF copy of Danielle Synotte: We’re facing a perfect storm that threatens the future of B.C.’s farms and ranches.

The ALR saved the land for farming but…

“At a time when most other jurisdictions continue to lose their food lands, BC’s Agriculture Land Reserve remains the most successful agricultural land preservation program in North America,” says former BC cabinet minister Joan Sawicki. She was also an original employee of the BC Agricultural Land Commission.

“While the program has enjoyed generally broad public support during its 50-year history – and that in itself is amazing – we cannot afford to take it for granted or to be complacent.”

Water is life and without water, there is no food

“The Water Sustainability Act includes language for Agricultural Water Reserves. I believe this is an idea whose time has come, stated Ted van der Gulik, President of the Partnership for Water Sustainability, in a feature article titled Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Is our food security slipping away without anyone noticing?

“It is in the WSA. Now it can be triggered. But that would require political will and investment of political capital at a time when other issues are top-of-mind for our elected representatives.”

“It is also necessary to link water allocation and water licensing. Currently, there are too many users that are not licenced to take water. At the same time, we must continually strive to improve the licensing system by taking advantage of all the science as it comes along.”