Measuring Farmland Availability

Principle Researcher: Dr. W.J. Caldwell, Professor,

School of Environmental Design and Rural Development

University of Guelph

Research Team: Sara Epp, Anissa McAlpine, James Newlands

With support from:

Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Executive Summary

The purpose of the project is to evaluate the current state of Ontario's farmland in terms of the land availability and policies regarding land preservation. The goal of this study is to develop a methodology that can be replicated across communities throughout Ontario that will measure both the availability of farmland and amount lost. The methodology will include a review of regional and local official plan amendments, key informant interviews, provincial plans and other base data including census and other local documents.