Scrapping the Agricultural Land Reserve is an irresponsible idea.

In October, the right-wing think tank Fraser Institute issued their report “The BC Agricultural Land Reserve: A Critical Assessment” in which author Diane Katz basically trashed the ALR, calling into question its existence. Having read the report, the greatest critical assessment I have of Katz’s document is her misunderstanding of the economic value in preserving farmland for food production and the critical role the ALR plays.

“British Columbia was not made for farming,” Katz states. Really? Tell that to the owners, operators and workers at almost 20,000 British Columbia farms producing food on over 2.8 million hectares. Yes, only a small percentage of B.C. is suitable for farming but that does not stop skilled farmers from getting maximum production from available arable land. According to Statistics Canada’s 2006 Census of Agriculture, British Columbia’s total farm area was higher than in previous censuses. While this reflected better quality data for leased or permitted government land, the stats also showed that the number of larger farms had increased 13.8 per cent since 2001.

Up until the early 1970s, nearly 6,000 hectares of prime agricultural land were being lost every year to urban development and population growth. To safeguard farmland, the provincial government enacted the Land Commission Act in 1973 which established a special land use biophysical zoning system, the Agricultural Land Reserve. It was the first provincial government to protect farmland and, today, the ALR comprises approximately 4.7 million hectares, approximately 5 per cent of British Columbia’s land base. That figure is close to the national average of agricultural land that supports food production free from physical limitations (classes 1-3). Land of the highest productivity (class l) is only 0.5 per cent nationally and 0.06 per cent provincially. Given that only 11 per cent of Canada’s land can support agriculture, meaning 89 per cent cannot, it’s a no brainer that farmland preservation is of the highest priority.

“The ALR gets international recognition,” said Brian Underhill with the Agricultural Land Commission. “Its (zoning system) offers a broad range of farming opportunities where the land is preserved for that purpose and it’s very effective.”

People value farmland for many reasons, Underhill stressed. They value it not only for food production but for green space, spawning stream preservation and wildlife habitat.

Katz’ notion that the ALR is the reason for Vancouver’s “severely unaffordable” housing is ludicrous. Many complicated factors play into housing costs (supply, demand, interest rates, transportation, availability) and to blame a province-wide zoning system is, bluntly, silly.

“It’s quite ridiculous to make the link that the ALR is responsible for rising housing costs,” said Councillor Patricia Ross who also chairs the Fraser Valley Regional District. “Rising costs are far more complicated than that. What they (Fraser Institute) are completely ignoring is the value of agriculture to our economy.”

How right she is. The Fraser Valley has some of the province’s most productive agricultural land where most of our dairy and poultry producers and artisan farmers are based. “I would challenge the (people at) the Institute to come to the Fraser Valley and we’ll give them a tour,” added Ross.

Furthermore, Ross feels the FI report is disrespectful toward farmers. The ALR may have its flaws but ripping the system out from under the agricultural community is not the answer to urban growth.

“There are many shortcomings in this report,” said Underhill. “It is limited in its terms and scope.”

Ross, like many others, recognizes the dedication of our farmers who strive to produce the highest quality food for British Columbians. Preserving five per cent of the province’s landscape for agriculture simply makes community-based, economic good sense.