Agricultural Security & Local Food Act
Category: Agriculture — Agriculture
Summary
Protect farmland from development, support local food systems, and create provincial food security reserves.
What this proposal changes
- Strengthens the Agricultural Land Commission Act to close loopholes allowing subdivision and non-farm use within the Agricultural Land Reserve.
- Creates a BC Food Security Reserve of 90-day essential food stocks, managed through partnerships with BC farmers and processors.
- Funds a Local Food Infrastructure Program to build cold storage, processing, and distribution facilities in underserved rural regions.
- Establishes a New Farmer Program offering forgivable loans and land-access pathways for new entrants to BC farming.
Arguments for
- The ALR has protected BC farmland for 50 years; loopholes allowing mansions, estates, and industrial uses on ALR land undermine its original purpose.
- A 90-day food reserve provides resilience against supply-chain disruptions, as demonstrated by COVID-19 shortages.
- New Farmer Programs address the most significant structural barrier to BC agriculture: the prohibitive cost of farmland entry.
Arguments against
- Tightening ALR restrictions may reduce the value of farmland held by existing owners who anticipated alternative development.
- Food reserves require warehousing infrastructure and inventory management at significant cost, and perishable goods cannot be stockpiled.
- Forgivable loans to new farmers create moral hazard if repayment conditions are not linked to genuine farming activity.
Cost & implementation
Food Security Reserve establishment: $150–250 million. Local Food Infrastructure Program: $100–200 million over five years. New Farmer Program: $50–100 million annually. ALR enforcement: $10–20 million.
Jurisdiction & legal authority
The Agricultural Land Commission is a provincial body; the ALR is provincial legislation. Food reserves and farmer programs are within provincial jurisdiction. Federal Growing Forward agricultural funding may complement.
How to vote
Visit cascadia.vote/questions/pnwc-A14 to cast your vote: Yes, No, or Maybe.
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