Farmland preservation near growing urban regions: Lessons from - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 Farmland preservation near growing urban regions: Lessons from Oregon Laura Schreiner, Dr. John Devlin University of Guelph April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar

The question 2 ´ Agriculture in southern Ontario is facing certain challenges. ´ Land use planning and policy in review process in Ontario, in part to address this concern. ´ Oregon considered a model for agricultural land use planning. ´ Can Ontario learn from Oregon’s experience with land use planning for agriculture? Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar

Study regions 3 Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar

Ontario: Greater Golden Horseshoe (GGH) 4 ´ Urban and highly populated ´ Rich agriculture ´ Excellent soils ´ Diverse, highly productive farms ´ Signs of agricultural decline: ´ Loss of farmland ´ Loss of farm services and businesses ´ High rates of farmland rental (inner ring) Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar

Impermanence syndrome 5 ´ When farmers perceive that their land may not remain in agriculture for much longer, and start to disinvest in the farm ´ Less labour, less maintenance & upkeep, no new investments (e.g. infrastructure) ´ Shift away from livestock (too much conflict) ´ Shift towards cash/field crops (low capital, low labour, quick return) ´ Young people tend not to start farming ´ Farm-related businesses and services leave Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/suckamc/220168454/in/photolist-4o1SZs-4UVYrp-3fAUqS-dnHSvT-dnHWw1-dnHWG1-dnHS8Z-dnHRZR-dnHSmP-dnHWo3-dnHRSx-dnHWRw-ksqpQ

Oregon: Willamette Valley 6 Why Oregon? ´ Recognized leader in land use planning in North America ´ Ambitious land use planning system since 1973 Why Willamette Valley? ´ Excellent agricultural land ´ Population density & growth ´ Parallel policy structure Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar Martin, S., Henderson, T., Merrick, M., Mylott, E., Haines, K., Price, C., Koski, A., and Dann, R. (2008). Planting Prosperity and Harvesting Health: Trade- offs and Sustainability in the Oregon-Washington Regional Food System. Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies, Portland State University, p. 10.

Framework: “Agricultural Systems” 7 Agri- business group Agricultural land base Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar

Indicators of agricultural system 8 success/viability Agri- business group Agricultural land base Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar

Indicators of agricultural system in 9 Willamette Valley Land in farms in Willamette Valley (acres) 3,000,000 2,500,000 2,000,000 1,500,000 1,000,000 500,000 0 1957 1967 1977 1987 1997 2007 2017 Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar

Indicators of agricultural system in 10 Willamette Valley Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar https://www.ezilon.com/maps/united-states/oregon-geographical-maps.html; https://bit.ly/2GUwZ2X; https://bit.ly/2JGZ93q;

How has Oregon done it? 11 ´ Land use system created in 1973 ´ State-wide, mandatory, implemented by local governments ´ Key features of Oregon’s planning system: ´ Minimum agricultural lot sizes ´ Special zoning for highest value farmland, with restrictions on land use (e.g. on new dwellings, types of businesses allowed) ´ Property tax benefits for farmland ´ Urban growth boundaries ´ …6 lessons for Ontario Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar

Lesson 1: Firmer, rational urban growth boundaries 12 create greater land use certainty Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar

Lesson 2: “Agricultural systems”-based 13 planning is possible, and requires resources Metro Portland’s urban and rural reserves ´ Historically: land brought into UGB based on a strict hierarchy based on soils ´ New system: land is selected for development on a more complex methodology, which considers agricultural system Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar

Lesson 3: Citizen engagement and 14 support is critical Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar

Lesson 4: A watchdog is important 15 Working with Oregonians to enhance our quality of life by building livable urban and rural communities, protecting family farms and forests, and conserving natural areas. Image: http://www.friends.org/

Lesson 5: Strong 16 rural planning and strong urban planning are mutually dependent Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar Image: https://bit.ly/2IUEnMC

Lesson 6: Land use planning alone is 17 not enough ´ Policy cannot make farming lucrative Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar

Conclusion 18 ´ Oregon’s system has its problems and critiques ´ Politically susceptible, lack of regional planning, “expanding boxes” ´ However, by North American standards it has been quite successful in: ´ protecting agricultural land from development ´ supporting farming (the “agricultural system”) ´ Holds key lessons for Ontario as we try to improve our planning for agricultural systems ´ (and much potential for future comparative research!) Laura Schreiner | April 11, 2018 | RPLC Webinar

Thank you! Policy brief with additional information: http://rplc-capr.ca/wp- 19 content/uploads/2018/03/FarmlandPreservationLessonsOregon_PolicyBrief.pdf Contact: Laura Schreiner Land use planner & researcher schreiner.laura@gmail.com Guelph, ON