Civic politicians approved a new agricultural plan for Delta this week that aims to make the industry more viable.
Although the Delta Agricultural Plan, which was two years in the making, is complete, much work remains to implement the strategies.
"It's wonderful to save the land but we've got to save the farmers too. That's why we want to make sure the farmers are able to make a living on that land and attract new people to this industry," said Mayor Lois Jackson.
After receiving a $30,000 grant from the Investment Agriculture Foundation to share the cost, civic staff and the agricultural advisory committee held a series of open houses and meetings look at how to increase the viability of farm-ing in Delta.
Some of the issues farmers wanted addressed include the preservation of farmland, traffic and moving farm equipment around, better access to irrigation water and lower water rates.
At the Delta workshops, some of the other concerns discussed included non-farm use in the Agricultural Land Reserve and public education.
A recent report to council noted a key concern for farmers in Delta is the declining profitability of agriculture as a result of economic pressures on the sec-tor.
Coun. Ian Paton, a farmer and member of the Delta Farmers' Institute, which was also involved in the plan, said interviews took place with farmers for over two years.
"On a very personal level, there were interviews with farmers in their kitchens. I know since I've been over coffee in their kitchens saying, 'What do we need to do to improve the future of agriculture in Delta?'" he said.
Consultant Darrell Zbeetnoff of Zbeetnoff Agro-Environmental Consulting, who helped formulate the new plan along with Quadra Planning Consultants, told council the implementation would require the co-ordination of various agencies.
Over two dozen "highest priority" recommendations were laid out in the plan, but some will require agencies such as Metro Vancouver and the Agricultural Land Commission to partner with Delta.
Some of the actions Delta can take the lead on include investigating the feasibility of attracting processors for local crops by providing financial incentives and serviced locations, advocating for reduced bulk water rates to Metro Vancouver, and supporting farmers in dealings with federal and provincial agencies, such as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and B.C. Ministry of Environment.
Other actions Delta could lead include continuing to improve agricultural drainage and irrigation, updating Delta's transportation plan, and supporting and expanding opportunities for community gardens and urban agricultural demonstrations.
Community planning director Tom Leathem said a subsequent report would be coming to council on an implementation plan, including what can be started first.
Metro Vancouver, meanwhile, has also been looking at how to enhance agriculture in the region. As part of the development of its Regional Food System Strategy, the district's agriculture committee this year invited representatives from government, industry and other stakeholders to present and discuss possible initiatives that would support farming and food processing.
One of the delegations was Andy Dolberg, executive director of the B.C. Agriculture Council. He raised several issues, including B.C. being the only province with five consecutive years of negative net farming income, with losses in 2010 of $90 million. The carbon tax was among other concerns expressed.
Some of the others who made presentations included David Ryall with Ladner's Gipaanda Greenhouses, who outlined the negative impacts of the South Fraser Perimeter Road and major transportation corridors.
