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District looking to boost agriculture in the Prince George region

Public input sought for proposed Regional Agriculture Strategy
farm-roots-farm
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George is developing a 20-year plan to promote and strengthen local food production. Glacier Media file photo

The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George is looking to sow the seeds of a stronger, more resilient agriculture sector.

The district’s first Regional Agriculture Strategy is under development. When completed later this year, the strategy will guide agriculture in the district’s seven electoral areas and provide a 20-year action plan to strengthen and grow the region’s local food supply, according to a statement issued by the district last week.

The plan will be focused on practical, action-oriented goals to address current and potential future challenges, district general manager of development services Kenna Jonkman said in the statement.

“A Regional Agriculture Strategy will help us strengthen farming and contribute to the long-term

sustainability of agriculture within the region,” Jonkman said. “It will be a tool to foster greater communication and collaboration between the regional district, Indigenous Nations, the agricultural community, and provincial agencies in undertaking actions to support agriculture in the region.”

A 2019 report by the Northern Development Initiative Trust identified roughly 1,900 farms raising livestock and 1,734 growing crops in northern B.C. Northern B.C.’s farming sector cover a large land area and support a wide range of related businesses in Prince George and across the north, the report found.

One objective the region district’s plan is to gather information on the existing agricultural sector in the district to serve as a baseline, and identify key performance indicators to measure the success of the planned actions.

Urban and Regional Food Strategies and Upland Agricultural Consulting have been hired to develop the plan, which is being funded in part by grants from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the provincial government.

Currently residents can take part by providing input through the regional district’s website.

Work on the plan is expected to take place from spring to fall, with the report expected to be complete before the end of the year.