Farmland still under threat

Food riots across the world and rising prices here may help drive home the need to protect the Lower Mainland's scarce agricultural land.

The higher prices should even bolster the use of the land for farming –

But the founder of B.C.'s Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) fears the crisis may actually have the opposite effect, at least over the short term.

Richmond Coun. Harold Steves worries it may trigger one last rush by developers to pave over ALR land in case much tougher rules are imposed.

"For a while, I think it's going to get worse," he predicted. "Some developers are thinking if they don't get their land out of the ALR now, it's never going to happen. The pressures are going to be incredible."

Steves has been fighting for farmland for years.

But even he is astounded at how quickly the issue of food security has blown up into a global crisis, causing governments to question their push to use food-based ethanol as fuel.

And he's hoping it will also refocus efforts on defending the ALR in B.C.

"We should not just be trying to stem the loss of land, but to replace it," Steves said. "It's either that or get used to watching a lot more food riots on TV."

Metro Vancouver recorded a net decrease of 10.7 hectares of ALR land last year and just over 52 hectares were excluded in the Fraser Valley Regional District.