High land cost caused by expanding suburbs have push farmers off most of the number one farm land in BC.

High land cost caused by expanding suburbs have push farmers off most of the number one farm land in BC.

BC produces less than 50% of its food. A large part due to the best farm land in BC lost to suburban sprawl. http://www.smartgrowth.bc.ca/AboutUs/Issues/AgriculturalLand/tabid/111/Default.aspx

http://www.metrovancouver.org/planning/development/agriculture/AgricultureDocs/Local_Government_Policy_Options_to_Protect_Agricultural_Land.pdf

agriculture on a small land base point to one of the primary challenges facing the viability of farming the most fertile soils in this province: land use conflicts between agricultural and urban uses. Both because the land market values farmland for its non-farm uses, particularly residential and industrial uses, and because of the prevalence of conflicts that result from different land uses in close proximity to one another, the agricultural importance of the land is undermined. Farmers cannot access land for agriculture because of its cost and there is a shortage of land for leasing due to non-farm uses.

Farming in the South Coast area is also characterized by relatively low gross farm receipts due to these land costs,

Both of these characteristics – high land prices and low gross farm receipts – discourage capital investment and product innovation, and prevent new farmers from entering the market

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Farm land can only be preserved if it priced so that farmers can profitable earn a living farming.

The agriculture land trust fund which must be paid into when taking agriculture land out of production, would create a price buffer between the price of land seen by developers and farmers. Using this trust fund to pay for fully reclaiming farm land would provide a means of cleaning up sprawl slum.

Unfortunately, many farmers are highly indebted and depend on increasing land values to avoid foreclosure. The introduction of an agriculture land trust fund would reduce the price paid for agriculture land. Farmers must be protected from this devaluation. How??