For B.C.’s farmers, food producers and processors, the word that best sums up the last 16 months is resiliency. To go through an unprecedented pandemic and still be able to put healthy, delicious food on the tables of British Columbians is amazing and speaks to how resilient and adaptable farmers truly are.
This summer has brought other challenges including record high temperatures, drought and wildfires. Sadly, we’ve had ranchers lose animals, and crops have been damaged due to factors brought on by our ever-changing climate. My heart goes out to those affected.
Whether it’s helping to relocate livestock or assisting farmers with support around insurance or damage claims, staff in the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries are there to offer support on all fronts. We have programs like Agristability to assist with recovery and a suite of emergency management resources and guides to help inform and prepare in the event of an emergency.
As we deal with climate change and other emergencies, we must also look ahead to the future of farming in B.C. Farmers are intuitive in adapting to changing circumstances and we know innovative practices are needed more than ever so we can have increased sustainability and productivity to ensure a safe and resilient food system.
This is why I’m excited about launching our new Regenerative Agriculture and Agritech Network which will help farmers harness the latest and best technology so they can adopt or expand regenerative practices on their farm that are good for the environment and respond to the long-term challenges of climate change.
The regenerative approach aims to restore soils, water and biodiversity health to improve ecosystems and make farmland more resilient to climate change. Agritech advancements, in support of regenerative agriculture, will also mitigate climate change by sequestering greenhouse gases and reducing on-farm outputs.
In addition to improving the environmental sustainability of farming and combatting climate impacts, the new network will enhance our food security and provide jobs and prosperity for our farming communities.
Agriculture is an economic driver in Delta and it’s important to me that we offer programs and initiatives that support our farmers through agritech, innovation, market growth and food safety with the end goal of strengthening our food systems, communities and local economies.
We’re now firmly into the summer harvest as well as Step 3 of our restart plan but resiliency will remain the key as we move forward, and new challenges arise. We’re slowly getting back to a sense of normalcy so please go enjoy a day at a u-pick farm like Emma Lea Farms or visit a community farmers’ market. I urge everyone to do your part to support your local producers and Buy BC.
