Overview

Farmland Advantage is not a program open to applications from any BC-based farm. The program targets high risk and high opportunity areas in BC based on pre-determined selection criteria. Once these areas have been selected, Farmland Advantage will contact the farmers whose land falls within those boundaries and gauge their interest in participating in the program.

Once a farmer has been contacted by a Farmland Advantage advisor, they can choose whether they would like to participate in the program. Participation is voluntary and includes the following:

  • Assessment – allow a Farmland Advantage Advisor complete an initial assessment

  • Collaboration – farmer and advisor work together to decide which action will have the great impact on the land

  • Implementation – Farmer enters into a contracted agreement and begins implementation

  • Payment – The farmer receives a modest payment commensurate with the cost of the activities (annual average is $3,000 per site)

Types of Projects

All on-farm activities carried out under Farmland Advantage are agreed upon in advance by the landowner/steward and the Farmland Advantage advisor. Activities must directly support the ecosystem services the program targets and may include:

  • Tree & shrub planting

  • Riparian protection infrastructure (i.e. fencing or other barriers)

  • Weed and/or competitive vegetation management

  • Thinning trees or shrubs

  • Seeding

  • Targeted grazing

  • Managed fire

Site Selection

Farmland Advantage sites are chosen based on the following factors:

  • Funding Priorities – Priorities of funding agencies

  • GIS Procedure – Multi-scale GIS procedure to target regions, sub-regions and sites

  • Industry Expertise – Industry expertise on the appropriate GIS mapping layers needed to align target areas with program / funder priorities

  • Ranking – Ecosystem Service Potential tool to rank farms based on their potential to contribute to ecosystem services

  • Other – Other considerations like watershed, winter range, elevation, slope and species at risk

Working in BC

Our researchers and advisors have identified a number of regions across the Province to execute Farmland Advantage projects.

There are many regions within BC that would benefit from the program, and we hope to expand the programs reach in the coming years.

BC Regions

Click on a region to learn more.

BC Regions
Omenica Skeena Peace Cariboo Chilcotin Coast Thomson - Okanagan - Nicola Vancouver Island & Coast South Coast Kootenays

Omenica Skeena

No targeted projects are planned for this region at this time.

Peace

There are no projects planned for this region at this time.

Cariboo Chilcotin Coast

No projects are planned for this region at this time.

Thomson - Okanagan - Nicola

Projects have been identified in the following areas of the Okanagan:

  • Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen

Vancouver Island & Coast

Projects have been identified in the following areas of Vancouver Island:

  • Cowichan Valley Regional District

South Coast

Projects have been identified in the following areas of the South Coast:

  • City of Surrey
  • Township of Langley
  • Katzie First Nation
  • Kwantlen First Nation
  • Metro Vancouver

Kootenays

Projects have been identified in the following areas of the Kootenays:

  • Regional District of East Kootenays
  • Shuswap First Nation