Summerland’s Agricultural Advisory Committee has prepared a written submission to the provincial Minister of Agriculture’s independent advisory committee about revitalizing the Agricultural Land Reserve and Agricultural Land Commission.
The two-page submission was presented to municipal council at the Monday council meeting.
More than 30 per cent of the land in Summerland is within the land reserve, the report states. More than 70 per cent of local farming operations are between 0.8 and four hectares.
To preserve the productive capacity of land within the land reserve, the commission offered three suggestions, including adding land to the land reserve.
“As climate continues to change, the range of crops suitable to grow in new regions has the potential to expand,” the submission states. “There may be the possibility to include new land in the ALR.”
In addition, the report recommends that when land is removed from the land reserve, an equivalent amount of land should be added to the reserve.
The submission also encourages farming of land within the land reserve for uses related to agriculture and food production.
“A means needs to be developed to encourage landowners of underutilized farm land to make better agricultural use of the land,” the submission states.
The submission also asks that the administration and governance of the land reserve and land commission be strengthened.
Coun. Richard Barkwill said legalization of marijuana will also affect farm land.
“I do not want to see marijuana grown on ALR land,” he said. “It’s an industrial crop and it should be grown on industrial land.”
However, council chose not to send the document back to the committee. The deadline for submissions about the land reserve and land commission is April 30.
“I think this is a very important document,” said Acting Mayor Erin Carlson, adding that concerns about legalizing marijuana should not skew discussions about the future of the land reserve.
The Agricultural Advisory Committee’s written submission was approved unanimously and will be forwarded to the provincial committee examining the land commission.
Mayor Peter Waterman and Coun. Erin Trainer were not present at the council meeting.