Planning for agricultural growth
Meetings regarding land use organized in Inverness and Victoria counties
Shrinking farmlands and protections for prime soil are up for discussion as two Cape Breton counties look to create their own agricultural landuse bylaws.
As part of a proposal to ensure the future viability of the farming sector, several meetings have been held regarding land use in Inverness and Victoria counties.
There are currently about 200 farms in both counties that offer up a variety of products including fruit, vegetables, honey, wool and meats.
Policy planner Paul Dec with the Eastern District Planning Commission said last week he gathered figures from the Department of Agriculture which show Inverness County farmlands have decreased by 88.4 per cent since 1941 or by roughly 115,000 hectares.
Since that time, there has also been a 93.5 per cent decrease in lands used for pasture or crops in Victoria County, equalling a loss of 55,000 hectares. A large portion of those properties are now being used for residential purposes, such as seasonal homes and cottages.
“We’re trying to speak to the community and trying to figure out how the community would set the rules for the lands so that you have the possibility of tourism and agriculture co-existing in a meaningful and symbiotic way,” said Dec.
“We’re still at a stage where any rules are possible. We’re just starting to basically brainstorm together.”
To date, there have been two meetings to discuss proposed land-use bylaws in Mabou and Margaree. A third open house for Middle River will be rescheduled. It was cancelled because of last week’s inclement weather.
“We were actually expecting to see some other members of the public, or also some developers, but it’s actually mostly farmers that showed up,” Dec said of the recent meetings.
“They also see the danger of agricultural land successively disappearing. The concern is of course, well, will this whole (bylaw) initiative stifle development? Everybody is benefiting from tourism in the counties of Victoria and Inverness so that is a concern.”
The Inverness/Victoria Federation of Agriculture has been leading the push for land-use planning following reports that farming exports could help spur future economic growth across the country.
According to federation president and dairy farmer, Chris van den Heuvel, Nova Scotia farmers have since been challenged to increase their agricultural exports by 36 per cent over the next seven years.
That means increasing agricultural and agri-food exports from about $350 million a year to close to $500 million.
“It’s about creating opportunities,” van den Heuvel said in an interview Thursday. “It’s all about smart development and ensuring that the future generations of farmers can afford to get into farming.
“We have to have some policies in place that enable us to grow the industry but really when you look around in order for us to grow food we need land.”
A proposal up for consideration is the creation of zoning amendments for lands where the richest or highest quality soils are found.
Residents who wish to submit their input or concerns regarding the creation of agricultural land-use bylaws in Victoria and Inverness counties can contact Dec by phone at 902-6255363 or by emailing pdec@edpc.ca.