The future for Delta farms may include small processing operations located on-site.
Those were among the comments at the Agricultural Advisory Committee which recently held a special meeting to discuss the city’s effort to update its agricultural plan.
Having been awarded the contract to assist in updating the current plan, representatives with Upland Agricultural Consulting were on hand to discuss the 2011 document and current issues facing the farming community in Delta.
In the current plan to support farmers, a lack of food processing opportunities was identified as an area in need of development.
Most large-scale vegetable processing operations have left the Fraser Valley because they rely on a larger farming land base.
It was noted the future may actually be in small processing operations located on farms.
Among the other issues raised by the committee was farmers requiring options to house workers and extended family, since rental options are low to non-existent in Delta and purchasing a home is out of reach for most.
Committee members noted that to sustain family farming, extended family need to be able to live on the farm.
Among the other issues is that it’s difficult to find and retain year-round local, reliable workers, and COVID-19 exacerbated the problem.
Wildlife increasingly conflicts with agriculture in the Fraser Valley and, in particular, the level of waterfowl grazing is making it hard to maintain grass forage.
Among other issues, the committee also noted that being at the urban/rural interface means that there is competition for food producing land to be used for suburban and other non-farm uses.
Delta planning staff noted Delta's Agricultural Plan should contain clear direction on what changes need to be made to Delta's bylaws so that staff can work toward those changes efficiently, saying that any changes have to be in line with provincial bylaws.
The work to update the agricultural plan is to be done in consultation with the committee, city council, civic staff, agricultural stakeholders and residents.
The city notes it wants to update the current plan to shift the focus more to the issues, recommendations and implementation actions that Delta could undertake and lead.
The shift in focus would involve increasing opportunities for engagement with external agencies and stakeholders, focus more on action items that are within Delta’s authority and providing more practical details on how action items could be implemented.
Recommendations within the plan are organized into four objective areas: improve the economic sustainability of Delta agriculture, enhance the agricultural resource base, create opportunities for efficiency, competitiveness, diversification and new entrants, and increase public support for agriculture.
