Kootenay folk have an insatiable appetite for locally-grown, homemade and organic food. Farming is hip again – young farmers are heading back to the family farm or finding small plots to start fresh.
In spite of this, changes to our Agricultural Land Reserve threaten the future of local farming across the province. For more than 40 years, BC’s Agricultural Land Reserve has been critical to protecting the farmland that feeds us. In the 1960s, five percent of BC’s land-base was placed in the ALR and 40 years later, five percent remains protected. In other words, it worked.
This spring, despite vocal opposition from farmers across the province, the BC government unravelled this protection. While protection remains strong in parts of BC, 90% of our farmland, including the Kootenays, is vulnerable to new rules that make it easier for energy extraction, industrial development and subdivisions to replace it.
Our farmers across the Kootenays are continuing to work the land and put food on our tables. Show your support by connecting with them at your local farmers’ market. This summer, Wildsight is launching Kimberley’s first-ever farmers’ market! It runs on Thursday nights from 5-7:30pm, July 3 to September 11 on Howard Street above the Platzl.
– Lindsay Cuff
