Kelowna city council gives final approval to new agriculture plan

KELOWNA – After a year and a half of negotiations, Kelowna city council has approved the new agricultural plan.

The new plan, tabled at yesterday's, Aug. 14, council meeting, includes 51 actions the City can take to support agriculture and emphasizes the importance of preserving farm land for agricultural purposes.

“To me this is a classic example of where the future meets the past,” Coun. Charlie Hodge said. “Today’s decision is a step in the right direction, but it will be a delicate balance of growth, and remembering how we got here.”

Fifty-five per cent of Kelowna’s land base is zoned for agriculture, while 40 per cent of the City’s land base is a part of its agricultural land reserve or ALR.

The plan focusses on five themes including strengthening local policies and actions to protect agriculture, stewarding natural resources and the environment for food protection, improving awareness of local agriculture and access to local food, fostering and sustaining farm business and farmland, and actions where the City of Kelowna plays a supportive role.

The plan will be implemented in three phases over the next 10 years.

“There’s a strong desire to support farmers, but supporting it in action is going to be the tougher thing,” Coun. Ryan Donn said. “How we are going to support agriculture and development is a pretty epic conversation.”

Funding for the development of the plan in part came from the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, the Real Estate Foundation of B.C. and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, according to a City of Kelowna media release.

Go here to have a look at the new Agriculture Plan.

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