Summary
With the passage of the Land Commission Act in April 1974, the province of British Columbia emerged as one of the leading innovators in agricultural land protection in North America. The British Columbia programme is unique, in that it encompasses a variety of incentives and disincentives to restrict the development of agricultural resources. While evidence suggests that the program has been quite successful, administrative weaknesses could endanger long-term viability. Regardless of the potential problems, British Columbia's experiences provide valuable lessons for other North American governments.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Austin, Edie (1980) Inquiry urged into gravel pit “deal” on Kootenay agricultural property,The Vancouver Sun, 12, November, p. A-2.
Baxter, David (1974)The British Columbia Land Commission Act—A Review. Faculty of Commerce & Business Administration, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Bosselman, Fred and David Callies (1972)The Quiet Revolution in Land Use Control. Council on Environmental Quality, Washington, D.C.
Bray, C. E. (1980) Agricultural Land Regulation in Several Canadian Provinces,Canadian Public Policy 6(4), pp. 591–604
Bryant, C. R. and L. H. Russwurm (1979) The Impact of Non-Farm Development on Agriculture: A Synthesis,Plan Canada 19(2), pp. 122–139.
Dalichow, Fritz (1972)Agricultural Geography of British Columbia. Versatile Publishing, Vancouver.
Krueger, Ralph (1977) The Preservation of Agricultural Land in Canada inManaging Canada's Renewable Resources. Methuen, Toronto.
Lands Directorate, Environment Canada (1980)Land Use in Canada: The Report of the Interdepartmental Task Force on Land-Use Policy. Environment Canada, Ottawa.
Lower Mainland Regional Planning Board (1966)Official Regional Plan. Lower Mainland Regional Planning Board, New Westminster.
Malzahn, M. (1979) B.C.'s Green Acres: A look at the Future of Farmland in B.C.,Urban Reader 7(1) pp. 14–19.
Manning, Edward and Sandra Eddy (1978)The Agricultural Land Reserves of British Columbia: An Impact Analysis. Lands Directorate, Environment Canada, Ottawa.
Nowland, J. L. and J. A. McKeague (1977) Canada's Limited Agricultural Land Reserve, inManaging Canada's Renewable Resources. Methuen, Toronto.
Pierce, J. T. (1980) The Land Conversion Process Within B.C.'s Agricultural Land Reserves: A Critical Look. Oral presentation, Canadian Association of Geographers, Annual Conference, Montreal.
Province of British Columbia (1971)Environment and Land Use Act, Chapter 17. Queen's Printer, Victoria.
—ibid. (1974)Land Commission Act, Chapter 46. Queen's Printer, Victoria.
—Ibid. (1977a)Agricultural Land Commission Act, Chapter 46. Queen's Printer, Victoria.
—Ibid. (1977b)British Columbia Facts & Figures. Queen's Printer, Victoria.
Provincial Agricultural Land Commission (1978)Annual Report for Year Ended March 31, 1979. Queen's Printer, Victoria.
Provincial Land Commission (1973)Keeping the Options Open. B.C. Land Commission, Burnaby.
—Ibid. (1974)Annual Report April 1, 1973–March 31, 1974. Provincial Land Commission, Burnaby.
—Ibid. (1975)Annual Report April 1, 1974–March 31, 1975. Provincial Land Commission, Burnaby.
—Ibid. (1976)Annual Report April 1, 1975–March 31, 1976. Provincial Land Commission, Burnaby.
—Ibid. (1977)Annual Report Year Ended March 31, 1977. Provincial Land Commission, Burnaby.
Raynor, I. (1980)Canadian Public Priorities, The Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation Survey. Supply and Services, Canada, Ottawa.
Robin, Martin (1967) The Social Basis of Party Politics in British Columbia inParty Politics in Canada, Prentice-Hall of Canada, Scarborough, Ontario.
—Ibid. (1972)The Rush for Spoils, McCelland and Stewart, Toronto.
Runka, G. G. (1977) The British Columbia Agricultural Land Preservation Program. Oral presentation Soil Conservation Society of America, National Symposium.
Selected Standing Committee on Agriculture, Legislative Assembly (1978)Inventory of Agricultural Land Reserves in British Columbia. Queen's Printer, Victoria.
Statistics Canada (1978)1976 Census of Canada, Supply and Services Canada, Ottawa.
Toner, William (1978)Saving Farms and Farmlands: A Community Guide, American Society of Planning Officials, Chicago.
Vancouver City Planning (1979) Goals for Vancouver Program,Quarterly Review 6(4) pp. 3–6.
Ward, E. Neville (1976)Land Use Programs in Canada: British Columbia, Lands Directorate, Environment Canada, Ottawa.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Owen J. Furuseth is an Assistant Professor of Geography & Earth Sciences at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He received his A.B. degree (1971) in geography and urban planning from East Carolina University and an MA (1973) from the same institution in geography. His Ph.D. (1978) was earned in geography at Oregon State University.
Prior to his current academic appointment he was an Associate Planner with the Jacksonville Area Planning Board in Jacksonville, Florida. His responsibilities with the agency included land use and environmental planning.
His primary research interests are in the areas of agricultural land alienation, and policies to reduce these losses. During 1980–1981, Furuseth was a NATO Postdoctoral Fellow affiliated with the graduate program in Natural Resources Management at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada. The research reported in this paper was carried out and completed while he was in Canada.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Furuseth, O.J. Planning for agricultural lands in British Columbia — Progress and problems. Environmentalist 1, 299–309 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02277259
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02277259