Blog to Save Barnston

Promote Multiple Uses of Agricultural Land

I truly believe that something needs to be done to  save our local agricultural land.  I would love to be able to say that we can work together to make BC a “local produce only zone” in which all our citizens decide that they want to support our local farmers, but I know that the majority of people would not be willing to pay the premium required to eat locally.  I would also love to say that the owners of the land know whats best for it and will avoid selling their property to developers at all costs, but that’s not true either.  Sometimes, you just have to argued for the public good and rely on good-old-fashioned protectionism to do what’s best for society.

This is the idea that the first aspect of my suggested solution is based on.  By instituting a strong government protection on the land, it will be around for future generations to enjoy.  Now, I know what you’re thinking.  How are a bunch of privately owned farmers’ fields beneficial to society as a whole.  Well, this is where my solution comes in.  I suggest that the provincial and federal governments take it upon themselves to introduce a policy of mixed use farmland.  Farmland that, through the use of networks of hiking/horseback riding trails running throughout, can be of greater value to the entire society.

My inspiration for this is taken from Barnston Island.  For those of you who have never been there, Barnston is the unofficial family bicycling destination in the lower mainland.  On a nice weekend in the summer, over 500 cyclists a day will take the short ferry ride from Surrey to ride the 10km loop around the island.  It is a true family friendly destination and it is not uncommon to see grandparents in their 70′s riding beside grandchildren on training wheels.  These people get to leave the fast paced city behind for a couple of hours and enjoy the amazingly beautiful landscape on this agricultural paradise.  I truly believe that this solution could be what makes saving agricultural land a community issue and not something just for environmentalists.

Now, how viable is this portion of my potential solution. For starters, I truly believe that the opportunity is there.  Recreational public land is in high demand and people are always looking for ways to get out of the city and enjoy life in the country.  These trails would give a safe place to walk or ride that would give a greater number of people a vested interest in the land.  The availability of People and Capital are somewhat questionable as well because this would rely entirely on government actions and financing.  A non-profit organization would take over maintenance after the trails are established, but because of zoning issues and the high initial investment, the government must be fully involved in the implementation of this plan.

Now, it is also important to look at potential difficulties in the implementation of this solution.  This plan assumes that the government is supportive of keeping agricultural land as is.  While government bodies like Metro Vancouver (formerly the GVRD) offer their support for saving agricultural land, there may be a hidden agenda.  Landowners in the ALR pay drastically reduced property taxes while residential and industrial developments represent a significant increase in a cities tax base.  The desire of public servants to increase their tax base may outweigh the desire to save agricultural land.  Another difficulty is the potential backlash from landowners.  Knowing that implementing a dual-use policy will most likely prevent the property from ever developing, landowners may be unreceptive to the introduction of these trails.

Overall, I believe that combining recreation with agriculture will go a long way to protecting agricultural land through gaining a vested interest from a much larger crowd.

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