Morice Land and Resource Management Plan
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- Recommendations to the LRMP Table
- Agriculture
- Sector Development Strategy
- Identified Opportunities
ConclusionThe supply of alder and willow exists in the Morice TSA in adequate quantities to allow for a modest willow furniture industry. Moreover, the supply of stems and saplings is free and to some extent accessible by highway or logging road. The market for willow furniture is small but relatively uncompetitive. Key opportunities exist for small home accessories both locally and abroad. The marketing of full size willow furniture is probably restricted to the local market due to high shipping costs. Recommendations to the LRMP TableRecommendations – A portion of the high wildlife value areas that contain an abundance of willow should be assigned special management that allows for controlled harvesting of willow. Recommendations - Access to areas containing an abundance of willow should be identified and maintained. Recommendations - Training opportunities should be explored that develop a skilled labor force for this relatively low cost opportunity. AgricultureIntroductionOnly 3 percent of total provincial land is considered arable or potentially arable, although up to 30 per cent of the province has some agriculture potential. Farm holdings (21,835 farms in 1996) cover 2.5 million hectares. Of this, 566,000 hectares are in crops and 1.4 million hectares are for pasture or grazing. An estimated 10 million hectares, of which over 8.5 million hectares are Crown land, are classed as open or forested grazing land used by the ranching industry. All arable soils have been mapped and classified on the basis of quality, and the best classes have been placed within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) to be maintained for agricultural and related purposes. Slightly over 4.7 million hectares of land are in the ALR. According to the 1996 Census of Agriculture, the average census farm had an area of 116 hectares. However, farm size varies greatly depending on the type of activity, from thousands of hectares in grain or ranching enterprises to less than five hectares in mushroom, greenhouse and poultry businesses (Ministry of Agriculture 2002). Agriculture is the province's third largest primary industry, behind forestry and mining. Some of the activities carried out by farmers in the Morice include: dairy farming; cattle ranching; and poultry raising. Sector Development StrategyThe Morice area has a large area of productive undeveloped land. A primary resource necessary for agricultural development is water. Whether raising livestock or growing crops a good supply of water is essential. A number of factors affect the availability of water for agriculture:
In addition to water requirements gaining access to land for agricultural needs is essential to the survival of many farmers. Information gathered from the SWOT analysis indicates that dealing with land-use conflicts and wildlife interactions are significant concerns to local farmers. In April 2003 the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management, Economic Development Branch developed an Agriculture Strategy for the Province of B.C. The Agriculture Resource Strategy supports economic development in the agriculture sector by identifying and resolving Crown land and resource access issues. More specifically, the strategy for the agriculture sector in the Morice is focused on strengthening existing agriculture production while exploring alternative species and crops. The provincial agriculture strategy can be accessed online at http://srmwww.gov.bc.ca/rmd/ecdev/agriculture/index.htm . To develop a strong and diversified sector, land-use designations should be made that allow for unfettered development of land for agricultural purposes. These lands should be located in accessible areas of the Morice close to transportation routes. They should also have a good supply of water that is relatively easy to access. Diversification within the agriculture sector should also be explored. By expanding into new markets for alternative livestock species and crops the industry can position itself to weather significant downturns in components of the sector. Even with diversification, however, situations such as the recent mad cow incident can have such a pronounce affect of the industry that all areas of the sector fell the brunt, though some less than others. One example of this might be the production of hemp. While crops used for raising cattle were impacted by the mad cow concerns, the market for hemp remained relatively stable. Identified OpportunitiesTable 26 lists the Economic Development action Plan Working Group’s agriculture opportunities and their respective rankings. Table 26. Identified Agriculture Opportunities and Rankings
Rankings for all agriculture opportunities were very similar. While farming for meat production is seen as the most profitable form of agriculture opportunity in the Morice area, most of these types of opportunities are currently being realized. In addition, pig farming and poultry farming take up relatively small areas and thus do not warrant LRMP involvement. Those opportunities selected for further analysis are Malting or Feed Barley production, market gardening, and agricultural tours. The following sections explore the criteria and conditions for developing the opportunities The Economic Development Working Group felt that opportunities such as livestock production (pigs, poultry, beef, etc.) did not need a detailed technical analysis because these opportunities are already being realized at various scales of operation. From an economic development standpoint cattle production stands to benefit the economy the most, however, cattle production is currently being done across the Morice. The LRMP Table should consider the importance of livestock production in the Morice. As these activities are largely being done already, the LRMP Table should focus a potion of their energies to ensuring these industries are maintained and strengthened. In the case of cattle production this would entail securing suitable land and a quality water supply for cattle grazing. Small crop production is similar in many repsects to the “Development of a Wild Berry Business (Cultural and Traditional Use Non-Timber Forest Products)” found in the aforementioned Non-Timber Forest Products Section. For further information on these and other economic development opportunities interested individuals are asked to review the Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management, Building Blocks. Information on these Building Blocks can be obtained online at http://srmwww.gov.bc.ca/rmd/ecdev/analysis/building_blocks.htm . Download 1.06 Mb. Share with your friends:
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