You may have heard that our local farming community has donated $1 million towards Delta Hospital’s “Coming Home” campaign to support the new long-term care centre.
Not only are our local farmers feeding us and contributing to the well being of B.C.’s agri-food economy, but they are also now contributing to our collective community’s long-term health.
This unbelievable generosity coming from the Delta Agricultural Society should give us pause to consider more carefully the importance of farming, particularly where we live.
The farming community is under constant pressure on many fronts. Land costs, geo-political unrest, input costs, and climate change are but a few.
One issue that has always seemed baffling to me is housing for farm activities. The succession rate amongst farmers is precariously low, especially in Delta. Generational farming seems to be a long-lost path to farming sustainability and if not rectified soon, will ultimately contribute to potential food insecurity.
Current Agricultural Land Commission (ALC) rules restrict housing on the “farm home plate” so that housing on the farm does not interfere with the ability to farm the land itself. I understand the philosophy within this central Agricultural Land Reserve plank, but after 50 years, its’ current practicality seems more than shortsighted.
The provincial government’s attempts to address the housing crisis in British Columbia are laudable, and in combination with municipal and federal efforts, perhaps the future will be more promising for our most important community asset - youth.
On my “home plate”, an 8,500 sq. ft. lot, I could build three additional detached small homes to accommodate aging parents and in-laws and give my family an opportunity to live in place. The four homes on this small lot would ensure that there are enough bodies to harvest the blackberries that grow seasonally.
Yet, on a 200-acre farm, the principal residence and only one other 1,000 sq. ft. residence are allowed.
Farming families need to have the ability to incentivize continuation of farming activity and housing is a certain benefit that will assist in maintaining interest in working the family farm and for housing farm workers. This comparative inequity is ludicrous and needs to be addressed immediately.
