Shuswap Agriculture Strategy

In March 2011, the Salmon Arm Economic Development Society (SAEDS) and CSRD Shuswap Economic Development (CSRD-SED) held an Agriculture Discussion Group to engage local agriculture producers in a discussion on agriculture in the Shuswap region.

In attendance were agriculture producers from the various sectors of the industry (dairy farmers, produce growers, cattle ranchers, wineries, poultry producers, local government, and other agriculture organizations).

The SAEDS and the CSRD-SED were attempting to obtain a better understanding of the opportunities and challenges for the agriculture industry in the Shuswap region and as business service organizations, how we could provide services that would assist agriculture industry businesses.

Our organizations also realized that any future agriculture initiatives pursued would have to be reflective of local needs and provide the most benefit to the end user – our local farmers.

Opportunities and challenges identified through the discussion group were:

Education
Infrastructure
Marketing
Policy, Process, Regulation
Labour shortages

The conclusions from this discussion group provided enough information to move forward with the development of a regional Shuswap Agriculture Strategy, to address the opportunities and challenges identified.

The Shuswap Agriculture Strategy was completed in June 2014. It can be found here:

REPORT: CSRD Agriculture Strategy Final Report
APPENDICES: CSRD Agriculture Strategy Appendices

The general objectives of the Shuswap Agriculture Strategy are as follows:

Develop an agriculture steering committee to ensure that local producers will guide the development of the Shuswap Agriculture Strategy
To promote the local image of agriculture to increase public awareness and support for local food production
To strengthen the agriculture sector consultation processes including policy, planning and regulations
To support agriculture organizations in providing services to producers
To support the processing or adding of value and marketing of agricultural products
To maintain and enhance agricultural production research
To facilitate educational opportunities for producers and aspiring producers on opportunities in agriculture which may include new market opportunities, on-site training, and community education of the agriculture industry
To increase production, revenues, and employment for the agriculture industry not only in the local market, but larger domestic and international markets
To create an implementation strategy within the Shuswap Agriculture Strategy that defines the role and responsibilities of each partner to ensure that challenges and opportunities for the agriculture industry are addressed
To address the issue of food security which focuses on a sustainable agriculture industry that balances environmental health, economic profitability, and socio-economic equity in the Shuswap
To create a Shuswap Agriculture Strategy that will differentiate the agriculture industry in the Shuswap from other regions in BC

Shuswap Agriculture Strategy

Opportunities and challenges identified through the discussion group were:

The Shuswap Agriculture Strategy was completed in June 2014. It can be found here:

The general objectives of the Shuswap Agriculture Strategy are as follows:

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