Background 

Identifying infrastructure needs to establish a thriving agri-food sector is key to strengthening our region's food system. As part of its Emerging Sector Roadmap and Action Plan, the District of Squamish identified the agri-food sector as part of its Green Economy theme, an emerging area of opportunity for strategic growth and investment. The completion of a Farm and Food Feasibility Plan will help us to understand the circumstances under which, and with what components, a food and farm hub would work in the Squamish to Lillooet region. 

This project builds on the previous recommendations outlined in the Squamish Valley Agricultural Plan (SVAP), Agri-food Impact study, and Emerging Sector Roadmap and Action Plan.  Several of the identified barriers and recommendations in this previous work may be met through the establishment of the Food and Farm Hub.

Project Elements

The District of Squamish in partnership with the Squamish Food Policy Council are developing a Squamish to Lillooet Food and Farm Hub Feasibility Plan.  A regional scope is being applied to support a thriving local food economy that aims to shorten the supply chain by considering the needs and addressing the current barriers farmers and food businesses are facing.

The following project elements are components to developing a complete a Food and Farm Feasibility Plan. This project is being actioned in 2023-2024. 

1. Part 1: Background & Engagement Plan. The purpose of the assessment is to build on the existing technical and strategic work and community and stakeholder engagement that has already been conducted in Squamish and create an engagement plan and steering committee. Complete
2. Part 2: Engagement. This step includes the development and launch of a region-wide survey and sector focus groups  to collect data from current agri-food businesses (producers and processors) in the region to understand: 1) current factors constraining the organizations’ ability to thrive, 2) hard and soft infrastructure needs to enable the organization to thrive.  In progress
3. Part 3: Framework A full review will be conducted to understand the multiple models of operation, governance, and financial assessments to determine viability of a Farm and Food Hub(s) in the Squamish to Lillooet Region. Incomplete
4. Part 4: Final Business Case. A feasibility assessment and implementation plan will be crafted by integrating all the previous steps. a Final Business Case will be a core document that will help set the foundation and future a Food and Farm Hub(s). Incomplete

What could a Food and Farm Hub look like?

A future food and farm hub may include a network of nodes and infrastructure that support the diverse needs of the region and help to advance the agri-food sector. The intention of the Plan is to define the perimeters by considering geography, markets, producer and processor needs, operational requirements, viable models, and more.