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

Best Practices

Government of BC

Research and Innovation

University and College

The following educational institutions conduct research, educate students, and mentor new farmers:

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

Other Programs

  • Fencing cost-share funding is sometimes available through WildSafeBC to minimize wildlife conflicts.

Innovation Funding

Innovation Research

Innovation Demonstrations

Tax Credits

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

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

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:

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