General Resources
General Resources
General Resource categories:
General resources are available for farms in British Columbia to assist with funding, farm planning, maps & data, and COVID-19 related information.
✔ All Sectors
✔ Funding
✔ Farm Planning
✔ Maps and Data
✔ COVID-19 Resources
All Sectors
The institutions and resources listed below support all sectors of agriculture in British Columbia.
Organizations
BC Agriculture Council (BCAC)
- The BCAC offers a wide variety of services and information for producers, as well as advocates on behalf of individual producers (Farmer ID Card) and member associations in a wide range of agricultural sectors. BCAC services include ARDCorp (Agricultural Research and Development Corporation).
Local Agricultural Associations
- BC Farmers Institutes include the Windermere and District Farmers Institute in the Columbia Valley.
- Kootenay Livestock Association supports all agriculture in the Cranbrook area.
- Kootenay Organic Growers Society certifies and supports organic agriculture in the Kootenays.
- Kootenay Local Agricultural Society supports and rents small-scale agriculture tools to local farms.
- West Kootenay Permaculture Coop (Kootenay Food) supports local agriculture.
Best Practices
Government of BC
- BC Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Guides covers all aspects of food safety in crop and livestock production, from assessing risks on the whole farm, to customized safety strategies and keeping traceable records.
Research and Innovation
University and College
The following educational institutions conduct research, educate students, and mentor new farmers:
- University of British Columbia Faculty of Land and Food Systems is allied with the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm.
- Kwantlen Polytechnic University Sustainable Agriculture programming focuses on regenerative, carbon-negative farming.
- Thompson Rivers University Applied Sustainable Ranching mentors regenerative ranchers.
Take a look at the Expert Advisors from these universities & colleges available to support producers.
Funding
Funding availability changes quickly, is often sector-specific, and is typically limited. A good place to start is the current list of Agriculture Programs on the BC Government site. Funds are often available to assist with business planning (see Business Resources), in addition to the programs listed below.
Infrastructure Funding
Farm Improvement
- Beneficial Management Practice (BMP) Program is a provincial cost-share program offered to farms who have completed an Environmental Farm Plan (EFP) and satisfy certain other criteria.
- On-Farm Food Safety Program offers 70% cost-share up to $10,000 to eligible BC farms to improve food safety through equipment, facilities or good agriculture practices, and achieve HACCP-based certifications.
- Traceability Adoption Program helps fund facility-based traceability systems and infrastructure.
- Traceability Value-Chain Program funds improvements to “supply chains” of two or more agri-food businesses.
Other Programs
- Fencing cost-share funding is sometimes available through WildSafeBC to minimize wildlife conflicts.
Innovation Funding
Innovation Research
- AgriScience Program funds “pre-commercial science” that benefits agricultural and agri-food sectors.
- Innovate BC Ignite Program funds academic and industry research partnerships to address significant natural resource problems, with a three-year timeframe for commercialization.
- National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program offers technical and funding assistance for research by small and medium-sized businesses.
- Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) supports research and can help businesses identify researchers to meet their needs.
Innovation Demonstrations
- Canada-BC Agri-Innovation Program offers funding for research, pilots and demonstrations, and the commercialization and adoption of innovative agricultural products, technologies and practices.
- AgriInnovate Program provides repayable contributions for projects that aim to demonstrate or adopt innovative products, technologies, processes, or services that increase competitiveness and sustainability.
- Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP) funds “industry-led” projects (including non-profit organizations and cooperatives) that help respond to emerging opportunities and issues
- Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) funds the development and demonstration of green technologies that emphasize climate change and clean air, soil, and water.
- Strategic Innovation Fund supports large projects with budgets over $10 million.
Tax Credits
- Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax Incentive Program allows businesses to deduct R&D expenses from their income in tax returns.
Species at Risk Partnership on Agricultural Lands (SARPAL)
- Farmland Advantage is a research and development project that works with farmers to protect and conserve critical, natural values in BC.
Farm Planning
Environmental Farm Plan (EFP)
Government of Canada, BC Ministry of Agriculture
- The Environmental Farm Plan Program (EFP) program is a free and confidential service that includes a farm visit by a planning advisor to help identify and mitigate risks the farm may face. An EFP is required to access Beneficial Management Practice (BMP) cost-share funding to plan and implement improvements. EFPs can be obtained through contacting the Investment Agriculture Foundation, or by any EFP planning advisor.
Agricultural Consultants
Canadian Association of Farm Advisors (CAFA)
- CAFA is a professional organization that certifies farm advisors.
BC Institute of Agrologist (BCIA)
- BCIA is a professional organization that certifies agrologists who work in agricultural and environmental fields.
Irrigation Industry Association of BC (IIABC)
- IIABC is a professional organization that certifies irrigation designers (CID), schedulers (CIS), contractors, and technicians.
Maps & Data
Ecosystem Information
BC Ministry of Forests and Range
- Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification (BEC) organizes lots of useful information on ecosystem associations that producers can use to aid the design of agroecosystems.
BC Ministry of Environment
- Species and Ecosystem Explorer helps identify species that may reside on or near your farm. Funding may exist to enhance habitat in ways that may also benefit your farm operation.
Data Sources
Government of BC
- DataBC organizes lots of useful information on ecosystem associations that producers can use to aid the design of agroecosystems.
Mapping Programs
Government of BC
- iMapBC allows the public to create maps based on all kinds of government data from topography and soils to wells, water features and licenses, aquifers, habitat and biodiversity, and much more.
- ParcelMapBC provides the public with maps on land title and surveys. The same information is available from the “PMBC” layer in iMapBC. Also see BC Assessment’s EvalueBC.
Mapping Software
- Google Earth Desktop is a free, user-friendly program to create basic maps by drawing on satellite images.
- GmapGIS and Scribble Maps are other examples of free and simple mapping programs.
- Any drawing software can be used to make a map. Keep it to scale by drawing on an imported image such as a screenshot from Google Earth, an aerial photograph, or some other map.
- QGIS is only for the tech savvy with a taste for professional cartography, but it is free and feature rich.
Local Government Maps
The following educational institutions conduct research, educate students, and mentor new farmers:
- Regional District of Kootenay Boundary interactive mapping application
- Regional District of Central Kootenay geospatial services, including interactive web map
- Regional District of East Kootenay public web map
- City of Grand Forks — no maps online, see RDKB
- City of Nelson maps, including online maps
- City of Revelstoke maps for download
- City of Trail online maps
- City of Rossland online maps
- Town of Creston, underground services map for download
- City of Cranbrook city viewer
- City of Kimberley online maps
- District of Invermere – no maps online, see RDEK
- City of Fernie – no maps online, see RDEK
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