Agricultural Land Use Inventory and Water Demand Model
The Regional District of Nanaimo worked with the Ministry of Agriculture (AGRI) and the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia to create an Agricultural Land Use Inventory and Water Demand Model. These projects help to protect water resources and promote sustainable food and agriculture systems that are part of the economic, environmental, and social fabric of the region. Both projects work together to strengthen agriculture in the region by increasing local knowledge and promoting sustainable water use for agriculture and aquaculture.
Agricultural Land Use Inventory
The RDN and AGRI collected geographic information systems (GIS) data relating to agricultural land use in the Region. This data helped produce an agricultural land use inventory (ALUI). The purpose of the ALUI is:
- To provide a record of land uses in farming areas and act as a benchmark for monitoring land use change
- To improve understanding of agricultural land use within the area
- To identify the impacts of proposed policies and regulations on agriculture
- To increase the information on agricultural land use that is available, which will assist land use decision-making including official community plan and bylaw updates
- To help identify challenges and opportunities to enhance agriculture and food production
- To identify opportunities for greater land use and resource compatibility
- To use the land use inventory data results as input to an agricultural water demand model
A copy of the RDN Agricultural Land Use Inventory and associated maps available:
Agricultural Water Demand Model
The RDN worked with the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia to develop an Agricultural Water Demand Model (AWDM) that is used to quantify current and future agricultural water requirements. This project helped the Province implement the Living Water Smart initiative which has made a commitment to ensure long-term water supply for the agriculture sector.
This project is closely tied to the Agricultural Land Use Inventory, as data from that project was used in the creation of the AWDM.
Read the Agricultural Water Demand Model Report