British Columbians will soon be able to enjoy more locally produced food, while farmers will have new opportunities to grow, thanks to regulatory supports from the B.C. government.
The Government of British Columbia has announced improvements to the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) Use Regulation as part of the StrongerBC Economic Plan.
The move sets out to make British Columbia a global player in the agritech marketplace.
“Making B.C.’s food system more sustainable and resilient helps build a stronger economy and prosperous farming communities,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries.
“When the pandemic and recent climate change-related floods disrupted supply chains, British Columbians were reminded of the incredible bounty in our own back yard. Opening opportunities for more vertical farms and innovative agritech practices in partnership with existing traditional farms helps solve our overall food security and food economy puzzle.”
If you’re a regular reader of Techouver, you’ve heard of B.C.’s own CubicFarms. The Langley agritech startup is leading the agricultural revolution.
CubicFarms (TSX:CUB) is a leading local chain agricultural technology company developing and deploying technology to feed a changing world. Its proprietary ag-tech solutions enable growers to produce high quality, predictable produce and fresh livestock feed with HydroGreen Nutrition Technology.
The CubicFarms system contains patented technology for growing leafy greens and other crops onsite, indoors, all year round.
The new regulations allow for more intensive farming, known as vertical farming, where crops are grown in vertically stacked layers, maximizing space and reducing energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
While vertical farming can be placed anywhere, this opens the door to additional opportunities on ALR land for farmers and farm businesses to produce more food for British Columbians.
The ALR is designed to ensure food security and these changes allow it to be used in a practical way to increase local food supply. For example, vertical farming and other controlled environment structures can also make smaller pieces of land that are currently fallow more viable to grow on.
The regulation is an important step toward making B.C. a leader in using technology and innovation in agriculture to reduce emissions, create new opportunities and ensure a secure and sustainable food supply for British Columbians.
In the coming months, the Province will also launch a new agritech centre of excellence to help companies grow and scale up, providing more high-quality, high-tech jobs for British Columbians.
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