Agricultural Lands

Settlers of the late 1800s and early 1900s transformed the forested land of the Saanich Peninsula into one of the oldest agricultural settlements in British Columbia.  Since that time Saanich has become a major residential area in the Capital Regional District while still maintaining an important agricultural base.  Over the years, agricultural and arable land in Saanich has been sustained through application of the Urban Containment Boundary (UCB) concept. 

The Urban Containment Boundary was created in the late 1960s in order to control residential growth and to protect agricultural/rural lands outside the Urban Containment Boundary from development.  Approximately 52% of Saanich is protected by the Urban Containment Boundary and considered rural land.  The province has designated almost 20% of Saanich as Agricultural Land Reserve area.  Roughly 380 properties in Saanich have been assessed as having farm status based on the BC Tax Assessment. Not all farms in Saanich are located within the Agricultural Land Reserve.

Today the community of Saanich is known for its close rural/urban connections.  Agriculture continues to be a part of Saanich’s character and lifestyle.  Saanich Council and the Official Community Plan policies support these connections and opportunities for local food production in both rural and urban areas.   

There are a variety of initiatives, supported by Saanich Council, that contribute towards improving our food security.  Residents in Saanich participate in community gardens, community kitchens, urban backyard agriculture, agricultural cottage industries, farmers markets, home delivery of local organic produce and commercial agriculture.  Saanich Council recently amended the Animals Bylaw to permit the keeping of chickens in residential areas. 

We would like to hear from you about other urban agricultural activities and opportunities in our community that contribute to food security, to the reduction of carbon emission and support and grow the local economy.  Contact planning@saanich.ca with examples or ideas for the future that could be considered for highlighting on this webpage.

Agriculture & Food Security

More and more urban residents are seeking local food supply and making efforts to grow their own food.  People are interested in:

• Where their food comes from;
• Ensuring that there will be local food available in the case of emergency;
• Reducing carbon emissions resulting from transportation and packaging of food; and
• Supporting the local economy.

Small scale farmers in Saanich are working to provide local food product to area residents.  However, many small scale commercial farmers have difficulty balancing high farm expenses with the income from farm products and are required to work at other jobs as well.  This reality makes it difficult to attract young new people to farming.  Small scale farmers are looking to reduce barriers for sustainable farm operation.  Barriers may include:

• Global competition;
• Large corporate farm competition;
• Escalating land prices;
• Labour costs;
• Equipment costs;
• Lack of food processing available on the island;
• Transportation and distribution costs;
• Pest and wildlife management;
• Aging farm operator population and lack of young farmers interested in taking over operations;
• Urban / rural interface conflicts;
• Soil enhancement issues; and
• Water management issues.

This web page is dedicated to promoting local agriculture and food security by communicating information, regulations, opportunities, activities, markets, and events in connection with local and regional agriculture and food.  Click below to access your area of interest.