The City of Delta is closing in on a new agricultural plan.
Council at its committee of the whole meeting last week (June 6) heard a presentation from staff and a consultant retained by the city on a draft of an updated Delta Agricultural Plan, in the works for the past couple of years.
The city’s current plan was approved back in 2011, while the new plan is to identify current issues for Delta’s agriculture industry and recommend actions for the municipality to strengthen the long-term viability of farming in the community.
A report to council notes the recommendations will break down each of the identified goal into issues that can be addressed by specific actions.
“These actions were created with· the intent to focus on areas under the City’s jurisdiction rather than focusing on actions that rely on external stakeholders or other levels of government. High priority action items include updating the Agricultural (A 1) Zone with a focus on increasing consistency with recent provincial changes, supporting flood risk reduction initiatives with agricultural stakeholders, and advocating for strengthening agricultural education in the classroom environment,” the report notes.
The draft plan document notes, “The original 2011 City of Delta Agricultural Plan has played a significant role in assisting the City in making well-informed decisions regarding the land base over the past 10 years. However, much has changed in the agriculture and food sector since 2011 and provincial and federal policies and regulations have also changed.”
The plan is to undergo further review and consultation with the Delta Farmers’ Institute and the city’s Agricultural Advisory Committee before a final version will come back to council for consideration later this year.
Council was also told an implementation strategy will be just as important as the recommendations.
