Abstracts
Abstract
The Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) has been identified as an important planning tool to prevent non-farm uses on agricultural land and thus sustain agricultural activities in the region. Using a land use land cover (LULC) analysis of Metro Vancouver's Agricultural Land Use Inventory data from 2016 and 2022, this study evaluates land use changes in the provincially protected ALR. In our study we found a 3.2% decline in cultivated land, coupled with a 121% increase in non-farm industrial use, with 42% of all new homes built within the protected areas being estate homes. The paper provides an update to Metro Vancouver’s 2014 comprehensive land use assessment of agricultural land, and argues that regular monitoring of land use patterns in the ALR can better support its mandate. These findings suggest the need for future research to explain the drivers behind the increase in non-farm use in the agricultural protected area of Metro Vancouver.
Keywords:
- Metro Vancouver,
- Agricultural Land Reserve,
- farmland protection,
- food systems planning,
- peri-urban agriculture,
- land use change
Résumé
La réserve de terres agricoles (RTA) est reconnue comme un outil de planification essentiel pour prévenir les usages non agricoles des terres agricoles et ainsi pérenniser les activités agricoles dans la région. À partir d'une analyse de l'occupation et de l'utilisation des sols des données de l'Inventaire d'utilisation des terres agricoles de la région métropolitaine de Vancouver pour les années 2016 et 2022, cette étude évalue les changements d'utilisation des terres dans la RTA, zone protégée par la province. Nos résultats montrent une diminution de 3,2 % des terres cultivées, associée à une augmentation de 121 % des usages industriels non agricoles. De plus, 42 % des nouvelles constructions dans les zones protégées sont des résidences de prestige. Cet article actualise l'évaluation exhaustive de l'utilisation des terres agricoles réalisée par la région métropolitaine de Vancouver en 2014 et soutient qu'un suivi régulier des tendances d'utilisation des terres dans la RTA permettrait de mieux appuyer son mandat. Ces résultats soulignent la nécessité de poursuivre les recherches afin d'expliquer les facteurs à l'origine de l'augmentation des usages non agricoles dans la zone agricole protégée de la région métropolitaine de Vancouver.
Mots-clés :
- Réserve de terres agricoles,
- protection de terres agricoles,
- changement d’amémagement,
- amémagement de systemes alimentaires,
- agriculture périurbaine,
- métropole de Vancouver
Appendices
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