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Blueberries
Food & Agriculture

The five island communities of South Pender, North Pender, Mayne, Galiano and Saturna all have agricultural and food growing of varying capacity and scale. All have a range of common interests, issues and goals for their agricultural land base.

These island communities make up the Southern Gulf Islands Electoral Area within the Capital Regional District and each island community is a member of the Islands Trust. The Southern Gulf Islands Economic Development Commission was constituted as a Commission under the Capital Regional District tasked with facilitating economic opportunities that would benefit the Southern Gulf Islands as a region. A Food and Agriculture Strategy for this region became an identified project under the Commission. Funding provided by the Capital Regional District (Federal Gas Tax funds), the Ministry of Agriculture (in-kind services for the land use inventories and the water demand models) and the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC was secured to develop this food and agriculture strategy, which includes Agricultural Land Use Inventories and Agricultural Water Demand Models for the Southern Gulf Islands. The Southern Gulf Islands Food and Agriculture Strategy Steering Committee was identified as the representative organization to guide and facilitate the development of the SGI regional strategy. It is also to ensure that the strategy development is responsive to community needs at the local and regional levels.

Vegetable Picking
Identified desired outcomes for this process include:

  • A sustainable and viable local agriculture and food economy;

  • Local community engagement that continues beyond the completion of the planning process;

  • Ownership of the outcomes of the process by the food and agriculture community to ensure the successful implementation of the recommendations;

  • A clear plan for moving forward that responds to the unique needs and situation of each island while providing a collective framework and approach for the archipelago; and,

  • The establishment of a supported food and agriculture vision for the Southern Gulf Islands.

 

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​2021 Local Area Food and Agriculture Plan click

2021 Local Food Area and Agriculture Plan Appendix click

2018- CESC minutes with Food and Ag update click

2018- Gulf Islands Food Co-op website click

2017- Final SGI Food and Ag Strategic Plan click

2017- SGI Food and Ag Strategic Plan Backgrounder

2016- Final Situation Analysis click

2016- Final Market Opportunities click

2015 - 12: Food and Ag update for full report click

2015 - 12: Water Use Statistics click

Food-Co-op-LOGO-small.jpg

During 2017 and 2018, CESC supported discussions for the creation of a non-profit Gulf Islands Food Co-op. This was to follow up on the Southern Gulf Islands Food and Agriculture Strategy, and to support the hardworking food producers and local food security of Pender, Mayne, Galiano and Saturna. Thanks to a CRD Community Works Fund grant and support from VanCity, the Co-op was collaboratively developed through meetings on the 4 islands, and incorporated in the fall of 2018.  It is now hard at work! You can learn more about the Co-op here.

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