B.C. Increases Food Security, Agricultural Resiliency During Emergencies

BC has established a new fund to help farmers, communities, and First Nations to help with increased planning and preparation for agricultural emergencies.

“We continue to see the impacts of a changing climate on our agriculture community, and we are proactively helping farmers adapt and prepare for events like drought, wildfire, flood and extreme weather that are becoming far too frequent in B.C.,” said Pam Alexis, Minister of Agriculture and Food.

“Being able to feed British Columbians is tied to our communities’ ability to be prepared and resilient to emergencies. This investment focusses on how best to plan and prepare for future emergencies so that we’re supporting B.C.’s food producers and our overall food security.”

With as much as $20 million available, the new Food Security Emergency Planning and Preparedness Fund will support the purchase, upgrading and installation of equipment and infrastructure by those who have a direct role in preparing and responding to agricultural emergencies, including farmers, local governments, First Nations, industry associations and other service providers.

Cash could go toward new water storage infrastructure, increased feed-mill storage while also helping with emergency response training, emergency planning, and developing the tools and procedures necessary to respond to and manage agricultural emergencies.

The program is part of the $200-million food security announcement made in March 2023.

To learn more, visit Government of British Columbia.