A Primer on Food System Planning in Canada Jim Hiley, P.Ag. and Candace Vanin, P.Ag. Land Use Decision Support (LUDS) Unit Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Definition of Terms Definition of Terms * Food system * Planning * Canada

Definition of Terms – Food System Definition of Terms – Food System * Consumers * Retailers/Wholesalers * Processors * Producers (farmers!)

Definition of Terms – Scope of the Food System Definition of Terms – Scope of the Food System * For example, the Edmonton metropolitan region: PeopleDollars/yr. PeopleDollars/yr. * Consumers1 million$2 billion * Retailers/Wholesalers3000 ‘ishsee above * Processors7000 ‘ish$5 billion * Producers (farmers!)500 ‘ish$0.5 billion

Definition of Terms - Planning Definition of Terms - Planning * Formal * provinces have jurisdiction for land use planning * established policies and procedures through legislation * many responsibilities delegated to lower tier governments * Informal * corporate business models (e.g., siting a Walmart store) * issue-based topics (e.g., watershed groups, powerline lobbies) * public infrastructure investments (e.g., transportation)

Definition of Terms – (how) Canada (works) Definition of Terms – (how) Canada (works) * Recognize decisions rest with local decision makers * Respect planning jurisdictions, communities of practice * Encourage cooperation amongst stakeholders * Use a comprehensive approach (‘one size does not fit all’) * Recognize and respect a community’s ‘Sense of Place’

Why Plan for the Food System in Canada? * It is a cornerstone of sustainable development: SocietyEconomyEnvironment SocietyEconomyEnvironment * Consumershealthurbanwaste mgt. * Retailers/Wholesalersequityurban energy use * Processorsqualityurban/ruralwaste mgt. * Producers (farmers!)stabilityrural stewardship

If you don’t plan for the food system, here’s what happens: Different types of farmers are forced to speculate on escalating land prices and bid against each other & other users in energy recreation wildlife urban growth and rural sprawl for resources of varying quality. and bid against each other & other users in energy, transportation, recreation, wildlife, urban growth, and rural sprawl for resources of varying quality.

Five years ago in the central part of the Calgary-Edmonton Corridor, 60% of farm receipts came from 9 rural neighbourhoods facing urban/industrial expansion and recreation/residential development. Source: Hiley, McNeil and Walker. June, Agricultural production profiles of County Neighbourhoods within Red Deer County, Alberta.

And for the past 40 years in B.C.’s Lower Fraser Valley, farmers have adjusted production to keep viable farms. Source: Hiley. forthcoming. Monitoring changes in agricultural production for land use planning in the City of Abbotsford, British Columbia. Graph showing percentage distribution of crops on cultivated land, 1961 to Source: Statistics Canada Census of Agriculture custom databases from 1961 to 2001, inclusive.

Local residents & politicians can find out how the food system promotes sustainable development in their area … Source: J. Hiley et al. Dec Leduc County Agricultural Land Evaluation Study. Map showing distribution of farms by type within rural neighbourhoods of the County using 1996 Statistics Canada custom Census of Agriculture database.

and, create strategies to improve the food system, like the examples already in place within Canada! Sources: Red Deer County. and, City of Richmond, B.C.

Sources: Canadian Institute of Planners. Want to learn more? The World Planners Congress will present many sessions on food system planning!