An Agriculture Plan is being developed to ensure the City's agricultural industry continues to grow and flourish over the long-term (see the Agriculture Plan Status Report to Council for details). The scope of the plan includes:
- Protecting the agricultural land base
- Responding to changing market conditions, technologies and practices
- Ensuring there is a sound economy and infrastructure supporting agriculture
- Resolving conflicts between agricultural and urban land uses
- Encouraging innovative and environmentally-friendly agricultural practices
- Raising the awareness and understanding of agriculture in Abbotsford
The first component of the Plan is the Agriculture Strategy, which is essentially an ‘economic development plan’ for agriculture. The Strategy aims to enhance the health and viability of the agricultural economy and respond to issues and challenges facing agriculture in Abbotsford.
The Strategy also provides context for the future development of a rural area land use plan, which in turn will provide improved land use certainty for agriculture operations and agri-industry.
Development of the Agriculture Strategy
A draft Agriculture Strategy was developed through extensive consultation with agricultural stakeholders, including farmers, agri-industry, marketing boards, government agencies, and the public. Consultation occurred through stakeholder, neighbourhood and public open house meetings. The City's Agricultural Advisory Committee (AAC) acted as the steering committee throughout the draft Strategy development. The AAC oversees the project and the Strategy was developed by a consultant team, led by Darrell Zbeetnoff P.Ag, in collaboration with City Staff.
A vital component of the Agriculture Strategy is the Profile of Agriculture. The Profile is a foundational document providing a comprehensive overview of agriculture in Abbotsford and highlighting key issues and challenges (pages 137-148) the Agriculture Strategy aims to address. If you have any questions regarding the Profile, please contact Carl Johannsen, Director of Community Planning at 604-851-4178.
Agriculture Strategy Consultation Process
The consultation process began in October 2009 and included workshops and interviews with stakeholder groups and prominent agricultural community members. The City conducted four neighbourhood meetings in late November and early December of 2009 to gather input from those who live and work within the City’s agricultural areas. These meetings were well attended and a wide variety of issues were identified and discussed.
Consultation results were summarized into an Issues and Options report, which identifies major issues and a range of responding policy options. The Issues and Options report was presented for review and feedback at a public open house on March 17, 2010 at Jackson Elementary School. Feedback from this open house helped determine which policy options should be included in the Strategy. Display boards from this open house can be viewed here.
Updated Agriculture Strategy
Using the Issues and Options report, consultation feedback, and the Profile of Agriculture as guides, a draft Agriculture Strategy was developed. This draft was reviewed by the AAC and presented for review and feedback at a public open house on June 10, 2010 at South Poplar Elementary School. Display boards from this open house can be viewed here.
Feedback from the June 10, 2010 open house, along with further feedback and direction from the AAC was used to develop an updated draft Agriculture Strategy. This draft was approved by Council on August 9, 2010 (see the Draft Agriculture Strategy Report to Council).
Between August 2010 and early 2011, staff consulted with key agricultural stakeholders including the Strategy consultant Darrell Zbeetnoff. Following this review, a series of Strategy updates were made and include text updates, the addition of a new policy and a new document format. The updated Agriculture Strategy was approved by Council on May 2, 2011 (see the Updated Agriculture Strategy Report to Council).
The Agriculture Strategy was funded in part by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) program. The City of Abbotsford acknowledges the role of this partnership in pursuing this initiative.
If you have any questions please contact Carl Johannsen, Director of Community Planning, at 604-851-4178. 
