Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Land Use Data Model

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries (MAFF) has partnered with various B.C. local governments to develop agricultural GIS systems as a basis for agricultural land use planning, urban-rural interface planning and strengthening farming. A pilot project has been completed in the District of Pitt Meadows; additional projects have been completed or are ongoing elsewhere.

GIS technology provides a new way to connect with agriculture. From a local government perspective, the end product is a database of land use information tied to the GIS parcel boundaries. From this a variety of different maps can be made, at varying levels of detail according to need. The GIS resides with the local government, making it easy to prepare maps or do calculations.

GIS information may be used in many ways by many users. Examples of GIS uses related to agriculture include agricultural area plans, ditch maintenance, watercourse classification, irrigation studies, drainage studies, agriculture development options, bylaw reviews, farm bylaw development, and tools for regulatory compliance.

A key way GIS can aid in the development of plans and bylaws that affect agricultural areas is by demonstrating the impacts of proposed policy or regulation on farm activities. An example would be assessing the effects of setback distances or commodity restrictions. A GIS can be queried for all properties meeting specified criteria. The results of such examinations can then guide the updates of plans or bylaws — e.g. official community plans, agricultural area plans, zoning and farm bylaws.

Urban land use data within a specific distance from the farm edge can also be identified with GIS. The data can then be used to help select the most appropriate setback distances, building standards and farm management practices within a specified area from urban edge.

Another way in which an agricultural GIS can be used is in the assessment of development and rezoning proposals next to farmland. Information gained through the assessment can be used to determine the suitability of urban development proposals near the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) boundary.

Other example uses would include identifying patterns of disease outbreaks, or determining how many animal barns are within or near a disease quarantine area.

In an effort to improve links between local governments, provincial agencies and the farm community, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries introduced the Strengthening Farming Program. This program has initiated several projects to improve these linkages and foster agricultural awareness.

A key project that was successfully completed under the program was the Pitt Meadows GIS Pilot Project, undertaken in partnership with the District of Pitt Meadows to explore the benefits of adding agricultural data and tools to a geographic information system (GIS). This was done with a view to supporting local governments in the development of official community plans (OCPs), bylaws, and agricultural area plans; developing and evaluating various planning scenarios for the urban-rural interface; evaluating the availability and usefulness of resource information and land use data regarding opportunities and constraints for agricultural industry development; and evaluating the usefulness of the technology in terms of strengthening farming and applicability to other areas of the province.

An ongoing project in the City of Richmond will involve the local government updating its land use inventory within its farming areas while examining inventory methodology. Other important objectives of this project are to ensure that methodologies are compatible with local governments’ technical capabilities and to document the findings in order to share the results with other local governments that may wish to undertake land use inventory work in their agricultural areas.

The land use information becomes out of date quickly; an inventory is merely a “snapshot” of land use at a certain time. Updating the data can be done quickly and efficiently, and having updated information enables land use changes to be studied over time. An interval of three years between surveys is probably reasonable; this is a question of available resources and time.

Recommendations:
When planning an inventory project, first find out what inventories have already been done. Contact local government or MAFF first, rather than starting from scratch. Talk to other groups and find out what their information needs are — see if something can be done jointly. Partners can do a project together that meets the needs of each, sharing the work.

In 1996, MAFF and the District of Pitt Meadows joined together to work on an agricultural GIS pilot project. It was felt that GIS held considerable promise not only to enhance the understanding of farming areas, but also to help identify issues important to strengthening, sustaining and promoting agricultural development.

MAFF is also working with the City of Richmond on a land use inventory project. Other projects have been or are being considered in municipalities in various regions of the province, including Creston, Peace River, Comox, the Capital Regional District, and Kelowna.

The original Pitt Meadows survey was done in 1996, and an update was done in 2002. Having surveys from two time periods means that land use change over time can be mapped, and trends identified. Other areas which have surveys from two time periods include Richmond, Surrey, Langley, the Matsqui Prairie area of Abbotsford, and the Hatzic Valley.

The inventory method developed by MAFF involves a team of two surveyors using a combination of drive-by observations and aerial photographic interpretation. Each legal parcel in the study area is examined, and both the land covers (e.g. buildings, crops and vegetated areas) and the land use activities (e.g. agricultural, residential and industrial use) are recorded. The survey work can be done quickly — about 1000 ha per day. The information is coded into data tables in a computer, which are then linked to a GIS layer of the survey area’s legal parcels. A GIS user can then query and map the land use inventory information.

The Pitt Meadows GIS Pilot Project enabled the District and MAFF to explore the benefits of adding agriculture data and tools to the District’s GIS. The agricultural GIS is proving to be a cost-effective, user-friendly planning tool. The District now has a system that will:

• Increase access to local farm sector information;

• Act as a tool to enhance decision-making; and

• Assist in the promotion of farming in the community.

More specifically, applying GIS to the District’s farming area can provide information that is useful in future updates of the District’s Official Community Plan (OCP) and bylaws. Some of the tools that were developed can be used to demonstrate the effects of setback distances and commodity restrictions on the agriculture industry. Other tools can help investigate the possibilities of starting or expanding a farm business and provide information that can assist a farm operator in making management decisions. Additional features of the agricultural GIS include its ability to identify land use patterns along the farm edge and help determine the need for buffering.

The project also provided an opportunity to test approaches to undertaking land use inventories in farm areas and to examine the applicability of a variety of different information layers and sources. The intent from the outset was to ensure that the experience gained in working with Pitt Meadows would be available to other local governments. Since the completion of the pilot project, MAFF has worked with several local governments, helping them to conduct agricultural land use inventories and incorporate the data into their GIS.

Two documents have been produced and one is in draft form. A booklet “AgFocus, An Agricultural GIS Overview: the Pitt Meadows pilot project” outlines the agricultural GIS tools and describes the pilot project. A related brochure (with the same title) provides a brief synopsis of what an agricultural GIS is capable of. These reports are available at www.agf.gov.bc.ca/resmgmt/publist/Strength_Farming.htm.

A draft manual for agricultural land use inventory is in preparation; it will serve as a guide for communities interested in undertaking an inventory of their agricultural land base.

A future consideration is public access to municipal GIS information by means of the internet. At least one municipality has plans to provide public access to some of this information via the Web.

Given the success of the pilot project, MAFF is interested in pursuing further work with other local governments. It is anticipated that future projects will include building GIS tools to identify marketing and employment opportunities, as well as trends in land use and ownership patterns. The opportunity for employing GIS to help in the application of buffers along the urban/rural edges will also be examined further.

MAFF will continue to work with the District of Pitt Meadows to implement the existing tools of the project, evaluate new scenarios and provide support as required. MAFF is also interested in working with and supporting other local governments wishing to use GIS to undertake inventory work in their farming areas, develop agricultural area plans, update bylaws and generally promote and plan for agriculture as a part of more comprehensive sustainability programs. Several local government planning departments throughout B.C. have expressed an interest in using GIS to improve their knowledge of the local agriculture industry.

Whenever possible, MAFF collaborates with other groups or agencies that have a need for land use data. Data collection methods can be altered in order to acquire information which satisfies different needs.

This case study was prepared by Glen L. Porter (G. L. Porter Consulting)with assistance from Ted Van der Gulik, Janine Nyvall, Karen Thomas and Stacy Meech (all of Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries) for the ‘Planning Sustainable Communities Workshop’ sponsored by the Community Mapping Network (www.shim.bc.ca) and the Township of Langley. The workshop, held March 15, 2002, showcased examples of mapping as a tool for sustainable planning. These examples were compiled in the workshop’s summary document ‘Planning Sustainable Communities’ by Glen L. Porter with support from Brad Mason (Fisheries and Oceans Canada); Rob Knight (Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection); Gretchen Harlow (Environment Canada); and, Kathleen Moore (Environment Canada). These case studies were later added to the BC Stewardship Centre Case Study Library by Sara Muir Owen with support from Rod Silver (Habitat Conservation Trust Fund).

References:
Portions of this Case Study are drawn from the references below, as well as from the MAFF leaflet “Growing Together: the rural-urban connection.”

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. 2001(a). AgFocus, An Agricultural GIS: the Pitt Meadows pilot project.

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries. 2001(b). AgFocus, An Agricultural GIS Overview: the Pitt Meadows pilot project (brochure).

These documents are available at www.agf.gov.bc.ca/resmgmt/publist/Strength_Farming.htm.

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries
Resource Management Branch
Stacy Meech
1767 Angus Campbell Road
Abbotsford, BC Canada
V3G 2M3
Email: stacy.meech@gems9.gov.bc.ca