The Ministry of Agriculture and Food in British Columbia have taken proactive measures to support sustainable agriculture through an inclusive advisory process. Key stakeholders, including the Minister’s Advisory Group on Regenerative Agriculture and Agritech, Indigenous food sovereignty champions, and a BC Agriculture Council farmer cohort, provided strategic advice to promote innovation, technology adoption, and regenerative practices for a more productive, profitable, and sustainable food system in the province. The extensive work was conducted from June 2022 to May 2023.
Regenerative agriculture, as a holistic and circular approach to farming, aims to enhance the health of agroecosystems and the natural ecosystems that sustain them. The project focused on three core objectives:
- Understanding the diverse regenerative agriculture extension resources available to BC producers.
- Identifying gaps, challenges, and opportunities in regenerative agricultural extension resources within BC.
- Providing recommendations to improve regenerative agriculture extension resources for BC producers.
To achieve these goals, the project conducted a study of existing resources and talked to different people involved in the process.
Over 40 resources were discovered, classified into three categories:
- Knowledge development (on-farm and off-farm research),
- Knowledge transfer (in-person events, online resources, and other materials),
- Risk assessments (technical assistance provided by consultants on regenerative agriculture topics).
The project identified several challenges, including producer costs (time and money), climate and regional variability, limited sector-specific expertise, and a lack of extension provider capacity. However, it also highlighted exciting opportunities such as knowledge sharing through in-person and online platforms, qualified experts, demonstration field days, and collaboration with out-of-province partners, including academia.
The project presented six key recommendations to improve extension resources and programs for BC producers engaged in regenerative agriculture. Coordination and collaboration were emphasized as connecting themes in these recommendations:
- Fund Long-term Research: Encourage collaborative on-farm research across the province, involving partners from producers to academia, to tailor practices realistically for implementation.
- Facilitate Access to Resources: Establish a single online location and contact point to provide up-to-date information on available resources and funding opportunities for producers.
- Align Funding Opportunities: Foster synergies between extension organizations to avoid duplication of efforts, organizing regular meetings when funding opportunities arise.
- Support Existing Extension Providers: Offer long-term funding and knowledge transfer to enhance effective practices and support their scalability beyond organizational limitations.
- Attract and Retain Extension Expertise: Secure funding and coordination to recruit experts with diverse knowledge across production types and geographic locations.
- Share Knowledge Across Sectors: Create opportunities for collaboration between different farm operations, ministries, and organizations to ensure consistent information about effective practices.
By implementing these recommendations, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food aims to prioritize regenerative agriculture extension initiatives, enhancing the sustainability and innovation of small farms in British Columbia.