Seminar to explore options for agricultural land banking

BY KIRK STARRATT

kstarratt@kentvilleadvertiser.ca

NovaNewsNow.com

With the engagement of stakeholders and the involvement and support of government and the general public, land banking or land trusts could be a viable option for agricultural land preservation in Kings County.

A conference called “Preserving Agricultural Lands: Tools for Success – Learning About Land Trusts for Kings County” is being presented in partnership by the Kings County Federation of Agriculture, the Municipality of the County of Kings, the Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture and the provincial departments of Agriculture and Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations at the Old Orchard Inn in Greenwich Monday, Nov. 17 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

With a high percentage of farmers in Kings County at or near retirement age and the increasing pressure to develop agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes, there is a need to investigate viable options for keeping land earmarked for agriculture.

The conference is a way to begin discussion on the variety of land trusts available and provide an in-depth overview of the specifics required to establish a successful land trust that will provide some financial incentive for farmers to keep land in agriculture as part of a broader strategy on sustainable land use planning.

It’s about options: Bishop

Kings County Federation of Agriculture President Patricia Bishop said land banking or land trusts can be used to help protect farmland, and a variety of tools are needed to meet the needs of all stakeholders. “It’s about providing options and we have to start building on something,” she said.

More options mean more chances to preserve more acres so there are lots of reasons to make the educational opportunity of the conference available to stakeholders and the public. “We’ve been, for a number of years, challenged with how to move forward with conflicts with agricultural land use. We’re hosting this conference in partnership because we really have to try to find solutions for farmers and the greater community,” Bishop said.

The conference is a chance to learn from others involved in land trusts in other areas how the option could work for Kings County. Bishop said it’s people that make things happen, whether it’s a “buy local” movement or the preservation of farmland. “We need the support of government, including the municipality, the public, farmers and other stakeholders. The general population must be willing to stand behind the options and support them. “If we get this level of engagement, we’ll probably have a great success,” Bishop said. “If people are passionate about it, it will happen.”

Nothing specific has been done

Kings County Community Development Services director Bill Butler said there has been support for land banking in the county’s Municipal Planning Strategy since 1979. However, even though there is a general policy that council support land banking and pursue its implementation, nothing specific has ever been done about it. “I’m hopeful that something concrete might come out of this seminar,” he said. “I’m optimistic. I’m glad the federation saw enough merit to take a leadership role.”

Butler said he hopes the concept is feasible, but the first question is where the money’s coming from. He said he doesn’t have an answer for that but, fundamentally, if people believe land banking or land trusts are a good idea, “we have to work through the issues and set up some sort of infrastructure or organization.”

For example, even if a benevolent millionaire gave $10 million to be used for land banking in Kings County, there would be no structure established at this point to use it. Butler said we must get the organization in place.

He said land banking or land trusts must be implemented in conjunction with regulations. The best way to preserve a given piece of agricultural land is having the legal right to control what happens on it and regulations are needed to provide this ability.

The conference costs $25 per person, including lunch. Pre-registration is required. Visit www.extensioncentral.com, call (902) 670-3277, fax (902) 678-0830, e-mail kcfa@live.com or mail Kings County Federation of Agriculture, P.O. Box 14, Kentville, Nova Scotia, B4N 3V9, to register. Registrations must be received by Friday, Nov. 7. Cheques or money orders can be made payable to the Kings County Federation of Agriculture.

Presenters

Presenters at the conference will include Dr. Wayne Caldwell of the University of Guelph. Caldwell has lectured across Canada on the future of rural communities and has published extensively in the areas of planning, community development, agricultural land preservation, siting livestock facilities, rural land use and the environment. His primary focus has been dealing with issues of change in rural and agricultural communities.

Ontario Farmland Trust Executive Director Melissa Watkins, who has over 10 years’ experience working with land trusts in Ontario, including seven years on the board of the Ontario Land Trust Alliance, will speak at the conference. Watkins was part of the group that formed the Ontario Farmland Trust in 2004 and she became executive director in 2005.

Franklin Land Trust Executive Director Richard Hubbard will present as well. Hubbard has been executive director of the Franklin Land Trust since July 2004. FLT is a non-profit land conservation organization devoted to the preservation of the farms, forests and rural character of western Massachusetts.