KELOWNA – The new Kelowna Agriculture Plan was recently given a (green) thumbs-up from City Council.
The updated plan focuses on providing clear policy and land use direction to ensure City agricultural policies are current, accurate, defendable, and align with other major corporate policy documents as well as provincial standards. The Plan presents 51 actions the City can take a lead role in implementing.
“With more than 55 per cent of the City’s land use zoned for agriculture use, agriculture is inherent in the culture and identity of Kelowna and its residents,” said Mayor Colin Basran. “Yet, this land is often at risk as it tends to be affordable and attractive for both agriculture and development.”
Throughout the 18-month planning process, public and stakeholders provided input during three rounds of engagement which helped shape the Agriculture Plan from spring 2016 to spring 2017.
Implementation of the actions will be initiated according to the implementation strategy included in the plan, which outlines a phased approach based on the timing and priority level associated with each action.
The City of Kelowna was pleased to receive funding for development of the Agriculture Plan in part from the Real Estate Foundation of B.C. and from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the BC Ministry of Agriculture through programs delivered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C.