Agri-food Database

Land Reference Documents

Land/Environment/Ecology

• Alberni Agricultural Land Use Inventory (2016)
• Soils of Southeast Vancouver Island, Technical Report

Water

• Water for Growth - ACRD’s Agricultural Use of Water project, Final Report (2017)
• Brochures: Rainwater Harvesting, Farm-scale Water Harvesting, and Waterwise Landscaping
• ACRD Council for Agricultural Water Supply and Producer-led Monitoring Project, Final Report (2023)

Emergency

• ACRD Farm Emergency Plan Template and Guide
• Mitigation and Action Plan for Agriculture (Covid-19)

Marketing

• Regional Buy-Local Branding Concept (2015)
• Guide to Farm Gate Stands in the Alberni Valley
• Growers Guide 2023 (Alberni Valley and West Coast)
• Growers Guide 2025 (Alberni Valley)
• Summary of Results, Rapid Farmers’ Market Assessment (2015)

Food Access

• Alberni Valley Community Food Offerings pamphlet

Marine

• Fisheries and Agriculture Resources
• Coastal Marine Strategy
• Support for Shellfish and Marine Plant Culture in the ACRD
• Recommendations for a Made-in BC Wild Salmon Strategy - B.C. Wild Salmon Advisory Council

Meat Processing

• Class B Abattoir Feasibility Study (2016)
• ACRD Request for Designation under the Meat Processing Regulations (2018)

Residential Production

• Grow Local Program Survey Results (2018)
• Grow Local Program Tips and Tricks

Coast Specific

• Interim Report - Coastal Addendum 2018
• What you Can Do - Cheat sheets to support coastal agriculture
• Coastal Communities Food Policy Report (2020)

Indigenous Specific

• A Drum in One Hand, a Sockeye in the Other
• Traditional Nuu-chah-nulth Food Harvesting and Preparation
• Nuu-chah-nulth Seasonal Round
• We Are Nuu-chah-nulth (video)

Local History/Context/and Statistics

• Our Food, Our Home, Our Resilience - an Alberni-Clayoquot Photobook
• Agricultural food sufficiency in Alberni-Clayoquot
• Vital Signs Reports: Alberni Valley and West Coast
• Agriculture in Brief - ACRD
• Alberni Valley Community Food Assessment (2013)
• Alberni Valley Food Security Action Plan Framework

Local Policy Documents

• ACRD Zoning Bylaws and Official Community Plans
• ACRD Strategic Plan
• Tofino Sustainable Community Action Plan
• Alberni Valley Agricultural Plan and Coastal Addendum
• Alberni Valley Food Charter

Local, ACRD Agri-Food Programming

General Programs

• ACRD's Agricultural Plan Implementation Project, Strategic Plan (2019-21)
• ACRD Coastal Foods Roundtable Strategic Plan (2020 and beyond)

System Change Project Reports

• Expanding the Influence of Regional Agricultural Support: ‘Develop’ Project Report (2020)
• Demonstrating the Value of Regional Agricultural Support (2022)
• Envisioning an Agri-Food Staff Person (2023)
• Summary, BC Farmers’ Institute Gathering (2023)
• Systems Change "Test" Project Final Report (2024)

Local Organizations, Networks, and Clubs

• ACRD Agricultural Committees
• Alberni-Clayoquot School Food Systems Program Working Group
• Alberni Farmers' Institute
• Alberni District Fall Fair
• Alberni Valley Food Security Society (and Alberni Valley Gleaning Project)
• Mount Klitsa Garden Club
• The Dock Food Processing Hub
• Alberni Valley 4-H Cloverpatch
• Shelter Farm
• Nuu-chah-nulth Economic Development Corporation
• Nuu-chah-nulth Seafood
• Nuu-chah-nulth Food and Nutrition Sovereignty Network
• Nuu-chah-nulth Youth Warrior Family Society
• Tofino Community Food Initiative
• Eat West Coast
• Clayoquot Campus Naa’Waya'Sum Coastal Indigenous Gardens and IISAAK Learning Lodge
• Tofino-Ucluelet Culinary Guild

Local Farmers' Markets

• Spirit Square Farmers' Market
• Port Alberni Farmers' Market
• Farm - Fish - Forage Producer's Directory
• BC Farmers' Market Trail
• Ucluelet Market
• Tofino Market
• Errington Farmers' Market
• Qualicum Beach Farmers Market
• Parksville Downtown Farmers Market

Local Community Gardens

• Dry Creek Community Garden
• Bamfield Community Garden and Greenhouse
• Wickanninish School Garden and Food Forest
• Anacla Community Garden
• ƛułcamis Community Garden, Macoah
• Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ/Wya Community Garden
• Ucluelet Community Garden, Ucluelet
• Ty-Histanis Community Garden
• Maaqtusiis Muuschim Garden, Ahousat
• Hesquiaht Community Garden, Hot Springs Cove

Local Events

Alberni Valley

• Family Farms Day (September)
• Alberni District Fall Fair (September)
• Salmon Fest - Port Alberni (September)
• Alberni Valley Seedy Saturday (February)
• Mount Klitsa Garden Club (May)
• Spirit Square Farmers' Market Seeding Sale (April)

Coastal Communities

• Tofino Community Food Initiative Events & Workshops
• Feast Tofino & Ucluelet (May)
• Tofino Oyster Fest (November)
• Tofino Wine & Dine (June)
• Ukee Days (July)
• Tofino Edible Garden Tour (July)
• Ucluelet Edible Garden Tours (August)
• Tofino Community Food Initiative Seedy Sunday (May)
• Bamfield Fungus Festival (September)

Local Education and Training

• North Island College - Meat and Seafood Processing programs, Farm Worker Foundations
• Shelter Farm - hands on work experience
• Alberni Farmers' Institute - short workshops and speakers throughout the year
• Mount Klitsa Garden Club - monthly meetings with speakers
• Growing Community Gardeners - workshop series, via Tofino Community Food Initiative
• Gardening 101 Workshop Series - Alberni Valley Food Security Society
• ACRD Agricultural E-Newsletter
• Grow Local Tips E-Newsletters (Alberni Valley)
• Grow Local Tips E-Newsletter (Coastal Communities)

Provincial/Federal Regulations

• BC Meat Processing Regulations
• Temporary Food Markets Guideline for the Sale of Foods at Temporary Food Markets
• BC Food Safety Regulations
• Canadian Food Retail and Food Services Code (guidelines)
• Industry Labelling Tool (Federal regulations)
• Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act (Federal regulations)
• Agriculture Land Commission Act and ALR Regulations
• Canadian Organic Standards
• BC Assessments - Farm Classification
• BC Farmers' Institute Act and Regulations
• Code of Practice for Agricultural Environmental Management

BC Website Resources

Production

• Crop Production Guides
• Animal Production Resources - Bees, Beef, Dairy, Pork, Poultry, Sheep & Goats
• ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture Library
• Insect and Plant Diseases
• Good Agricultural Practices

Farm Business

• New Farm Start-up Guide
• Taking Stock - A Processor Business Planning Workbook
• Enterprise Budgets
• Land Access and Land Matching Tools
• Farm Succession Toolkit
• Transition Toolkit for Non-Family Farm Transfer

Community Agriculture

• Checklist for Purchase or Operation of Community Greenhouses
• Developing a Community Food Production Project
• Urban Farming Guidebook

Processing

• Taking Stock - A Processor Business Planning Workbook
• Food Safety in Processing

Markets

• Selling BC Food to BC’s Government Supported Facilities (2021)
• Farm Diversification by Agri-Tourism (2017)

Other

• BC Climate Change & Adaptation Program (Agriculture)
• Mental Health Resources for the Agriculture Sector
• Emergency Preparedness for Producers
• Electric Fencing Tips - WildSafe BC
• The Countryside and You - Understanding what it means to live in an agricultural area
• Country Life in BC newspaper

Marine Foods

• Fisheries and Aquaculture Resources
• Coastal Marine Strategy, What We Heard Report (2023)
• Recommendations, BC Wild Salmon Advisory Council (2019)

Indigenous

• Indigenous Food Sovereignty and Security in a Changing Climate
• Working Group on Food Sovereignty
• Cedar Box Experience

BC Agri-Food Funding and Programs

Grants, General

• Real Estate Foundation of BC
• Rural Economic Diversification and Infrastructure Program
• Vancouver Foundation
• ACRD Grant-in-Aid
• Knowledge and Technology Transfer Program
• Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC
• Get BC Working Fund
• Co-op Community Spaces
• United Way
• Clayoquot Biosphere Community Grants
• FCC AgriSpirit Fund
• Island Coastal Economic Trust
• Farm to School BC

Grants - Specific to Producer Businesses

• Extreme Weather Preparedness Program
• Youth Employment and Skills Program
• Beneficial Management Practices Program
• BC Agri-Business Planning Program
• BC Climate Agri-solutions

Grants - Indigenous Applicants

• Indigenous Agriculture Development Program
• New Relationship Trust Indigenous Food Security and Sovereignty
• Indigenous Peoples Resilience Fund
• Telus Indigenous Communities Fund
• Thriving Indigenous Systems Fund

Loans

• Community Futures
• Farm Credit Canada

BC and Federal Programs

• Federal Agriculture Programs
• Indigenous Pathfinder Service
• Environmental Farm Plan Program
• Farmland Advantage Program
• BC Regional Extension Program and Guidelines

BC-Wide Training/Education

• University of British Columbia Centre for Sustainable Food Systems
• Kwantlen Polytechnic University Sustainable Agriculture
• Thompson Rivers University - Meat Processing, Regenerative Agriculture, Sustainable Ranching
• Vancouver Island University Farming Fundamentals, micro-credit programs
• University of the Fraser Valley - Agriculture Programs
• Seafood Business Accelerator Program
• North Island College - Meat Processing Fundamentals
• Tea Creek Indigenous Agriculture Training
• Institute for Sustainable Food Systems Farm Business Mentorship Network
• SlaughterRight Training Manual
• Guide to On-Farm Demonstration Research
• Young Agrarians - e-learning courses
• Kamloops Food Policy Council Knowledge Briefs

Employment/Labour

• Guide to Developing a Agricultural Employee Handbook
• Hiring Farm Workers
• Growing the AgriWorkforce
• WorkSafe BC - Agriculture
• Young Agrarians Job and Apprentice Bank

Regional Districts and Agriculture

• Agricultural Supports and Challenges, Exploring the Role of Regional Districts in BC
• Envisioning an Agri-Food Staff Member, July 2023
• Strengthening Farming Program - Info for local government staff

BC-Wide Agri-Food Organizations

• AgSafe BC
• BC Agricultural Climate Action Reearch Network
• BC Agriculture in the Classroom
• Young Agrarians
• BC Farmers' Institute
• BC Food Systems Network
• FarmFolk CityFolk
• Small Scale Food Processor Association
• Farm to School BC
• BC Agricultural Industry Associations
• Organic BC
• BC Farmers' Market Association
• Indigenous Food Systems Network
• BC Agriculture Council
• 4-H BC
• Invasive Species Council of BC

Other Online Databases

• Agri-Service BC - funding, tools, and services
• Agri-Service BC - Facebook
• Regional District of Bulkley Nechako - Agriculture resources
• BC FoodWeb
• AgPal
• Lillooet Agriculture and Food Society Resource Database
• Kootenay-Boundary Farm Advisors Resources
• BC Agri-Service E-newsletters
• Funding Opportunities for BC Agri-Food Producers, Processors, Innovators, and Associations
• Nutrient Management
• BC Climate Adaptation Resource Library
• BC and Alberta Food System Policy Database

Advocacy

• Demonstrating the Value of Regional Agricultural Support
• Imagine Canada - Non-profit sector advocacy
• National Farmers Union
• BC Farmers' Institute
• Food Secure Canada
• Union of BC Municipalities