Environment: Protection of farm land

July 29, 2023 11:32 AM Comment(s) By communications

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Protection of farmland

Updated Dec 6, 2024.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
SDG 2.4: Ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices.

Every day in Ontario, we lose 319 acres of farmland to non-agricultural land uses like urban development and aggregate extraction; this rate of farmland loss is unsustainable and cannot be allowed to continue. Everyone in Ontario relies on agriculture, from the food we eat, to the jobs in our communities. Without strong protections in place for our farmland, we may not be able to provide enough food to feed our growing population. (Ontario Farmland Trust)

Farmland in PEC totals 110,904 acres of which 20.5% (or approximately 22,779 acres) are natural lands used for pasture, woodlands, and wetlands. As well as supporting local food production, farmland plays a key role in carbon sequestration, water absorption and filtration, and nutrient cycling.
If you ate today, thank a farmer.

As of August 2024, three PEC farmers have secured permanent land protection of 515 acres through Ontario Farmland Trust, with three more applications to be completed in 2024 (455 acres).


Between 2006 and 2021, PEC's farmland decreased by 34,706 acres (-23.8%), and cropland acreage decreased by 13,239 acres (-14%). Cropland — or “land in crops” as termed by Statistics Canada — refers to the usual field crops, as well as fruit and vegetable plantations and sod and nursery products. It does not include hay, pasture, silage crops, Christmas trees, woodlots or any other unproductive areas.


In PEC, the average age of farmers is 58.4 … but 63% of PEC farms do NOT have succession plans. (Statistics Canada, Census of Agriculture, 2021)  Will this farmland remain in use for agriculture?


Between 2006 and 2021, farmland prices in PEC surged by 257%, rising from an average of $2,450 to $8,747 per acre of farmland and buildings. (Ontario data catalogue) This dramatic increase poses significant challenges for new generations seeking to enter the agricultural sector.

Agriculture sector
PEC 2006
PEC 2011
PEC 2016
PEC 2021
Total land area (acres)145,610130,771125,948 110,904
Land in crops (acres)
92,451
86,317
86,027
79,212
Number of farms
520
477
432
375
Average age of farm operators
51.7
54.8
56.4
58.4
Farms reporting a written succession plan
--
--
34
44

The County Foundation hosted a farmland trust information session in March 2023. Ontario Farmland Trust can also work with private landowners to protect properties if they are purely environmental, or use their networks with the Nature Conservancy of Canada to engage in the protection of these properties. (see the recorded presentation to the right) 


The popularity of PEC is generating more interest and pressure from developers. The updated Official Plan, beginning July 8, 2021, includes a number of key policies aimed at building strong communities, protecting natural heritage systems, protecting agricultural resources, and protecting human health and safety when considering development in the County.

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