The strategy builds on the work conducted in the County’s Agriculture Master Plan, completed in 2015.    

This strategy is more focused than the Master Plan on:  

• identifying economic opportunities, largely for agriculture and food production and processing, resulting in products with added value  
• identifying potentially unique companies with unique products  
• including new/improved primary production  

A successful agricultural sector will support the local economy and contribute to a prosperous community.   

• Developing our agriculture and food sector means: 
• attracting new and diverse business 
• expanding supply chains 
• improving local investment readiness 
• investigating resource availability 
• removing barriers to business investment and expansion 
• identifying municipal levers to encourage sector growth 
• and building a supportive community network, especially for new and young producers. 

The study will involve: 

• Review of the current local food system and supply chain 
• Assessing the County's capacity and strengths in the sector 
• Identifying local agriculture and food businesses and potential market opportunities 
• Identifying potential barriers to growth and opportunities to address them 
• Providing a path forward to grow the industry, through improving investment.