“Food security for Vancouver Island will require a major shift in the way we are managing our agriculture lands today," states Ted van der Gulik, President of the Partnership for Water Sustainability in BC
Note to Readers:
Water defines communities. Water will be the governing factor when envisioning a sustainable future on Vancouver Island. On December 9 in Victoria, the Partnership for Water Sustainability and the Irrigation Industry Association are co-hosting “Convening for Action on Vancouver Island: How Managing Water Now…..Will Shape the Future”. The workshop is an opportunity to share and learn about VI2065: The Vision for Vancouver Island in 50 Years.
Agriculture and Water – How Will Climate Change Impact the Future on Vancouver Island?
“The Managing Water Workshop is designed to spark a conversation and ultimately inform a shared vision for Vancouver Island. The workshop will showcase tools that can help communities move towards settlement, economy and ecology in balance. Tools in the existing toolbox include the Agriculture Land Use Inventory and the Agriculture Water Demand Model,” reports Derek Richmond, Chair of CAVI-Convening for Action on Vancouver Island. and Workshop Chair
“Food security, protection of agricultural lands and water uses are issues facing Vancouver Islanders. Agriculture is a high consumer of water. On December 9 in Victoria, we will address this defining question: What can be done to protect our food lands and the water needed to grow food in a changing climate?”
Is Food Security Even Possible:
“We will elaborate on what it will take to obtain food security for Vancouver Island,” states Ted van der Gulik, President of the Partnership for Water Sustainability, and formerly the Senior Engineer with the BC Ministry of Agriculture. “How much land would we need, and how much needs to be irrigated to achieve that level of production. Is it even possible?”
Tools Generate Reliable Answers:
“The Agriculture Land Use Inventory and the Agriculture Water Demand Model provide the Province and local governments with an informed and reliable basis for generating answers to these questions,” continues Ted van der Gulik.
“The land use inventory is one of the data inputs for the Agriculture Water Demand Model. On the east coast of Vancouver Island, three local governments are leading by example through their participation in this program, namely: Cowichan Valley Regional District, Comox Valley Regional District and the Regional District of Nanaimo.”
Make Informed Decisions:
“Access to Agricultural Land Use Inventory data facilitates local government planning for agriculture, monitoring of trends in their communities, and evaluation of proposed regulations. It has been used to determine potential conflicts along Urban/ALR edges, crop practices along riparian areas with endangered species, and consequences of proposed changes to setbacks and minimum lot sizes,” explains Corrine Roesler, Land Information Coordinator with the Ministry of Agriculture.
A Look Ahead:
“To achieve any resemblance of food security for Vancouver Island will require a major shift in the way we are managing our agriculture lands today, how we protect them in the future, and acceptance of the need to secure water for the production of food on these lands,” concludes Ted van der Gulik.
To Learn More:
For a preview of what you can expect on December 9, click on Convening for Action on Vancouver Island: How Managing Water Now…..Will Shape the Future to download a copy of the Program Overview.
The workshop is complete with a mini-tradeshow. TO REGISTER via the Irrigation Industry Association website, click on https://www.irrigationbc.com/irrigation/courses/view_scheduled/149.
Members of the Partnership for Water Sustainability are eligible for a discount rate. To receive the coupon code, please email your request via outreach@waterbucket.ca. Then add the coupon code during registration checkout.
