Agriculture is our legacy and our future.
AGRICULTURE
The Regional Agriculture Master Plan is the first-ever regional plan to manage land use for the future of agriculture and the agriculture sector.
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The Regional Agricultural Master Plan (RAMP) creates a policy framework that balances the needs of municipalities to develop, grow, and conserve our prime agricultural lands with the economic opportunities of the agricultural sector in the Region.
There’s a saying in the Region that the original black gold isn’t oil, it’s the soil, and our Region is home to some of the most fertile soils in the country. Our agricultural future depends on planning for agriculture instead of planning around it. As municipalities grow, we need a plan to protect prime agriculture lands from conversion and fragmentation to ensure producers and processors can grow too.
The Regional Agriculture Master Plan is a core component of Re-imagine. Plan. Build., our 30-year growth plan for the Region.
Our Region can be a world leader in agriculture. As the second largest economic driver in the province, the agricultural sector is already well positioned to contribute to jobs and economic investment in the Region, but agriculture starts and ends with a supply of quality land and strong agriculture communities.
Conserving prime agriculture lands and creating opportunities for the value-added agri-food sector to grow has the potential to create jobs and increase the Region’s economic prosperity by an estimated $10 billion, supporting vibrant rural communities and economies.
Our regional agricultural plan is breaking new ground.
Our proactive approach to agriculture planning centers around the Regional Agriculture Master Plan (RAMP).
Endorsed by the Government of Alberta in late 2022, RAMP is a pioneering effort involving collaboration among all levels of government and industry, marked by two dedicated engagement sessions. As the first of its kind in Western Canada, RAMP focuses on safeguarding tier-one agricultural land.
Through a collaborative regional planning process, RAMP identifies and conserves prime agricultural lands to minimize fragmentation. It also promotes diversification and the production of value-added agriculture, ensuring municipalities have strategic and timely space for both community expansion and crop cultivation.
Built on the Region's rich agricultural history, the implementation of this bold plan prioritizes both agricultural production and processing. This commitment ensures a persistent contribution to GDP growth, economic diversification, employment opportunities, and attraction of investment, talent, and businesses to our Region.
The first step in the implementation of RAMP is the requirement for member municipalities to have a complete regional context statement. This step is intended to be an informal exercise for municipalities to review the policy direction in RAMP and to identify where amendments may be required in order for municipal development plans (MDP) to align. Regional context statements are to be submitted to the EMRB one year after provincial approval, and as of February 2024, almost all member municipalities had done so. Following this, municipalities will be required to update and align their MDPs by December 20, 2024.
