Organic extension funding yanked
Gov’t tells COABC to request aid from Growing Forward
by DAVID SCHMIDT
ABBOTSFORD – The B.C. organic community is lobbying hard (but so far unsuccessfully) for the provincial government to continue to provide funding for an organic extension agent.
In 2007, the sector convinced government it needed organic extension services to grow the sector. Rather than provide an extension agent within the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands (BCMAL), the ministry gave the Certified Organic Associations of B.C. (COABC) enough funds to enable them to hire their own organic extension agent for three years.
That funding, which began in September 2007, is set to run out at the end of August, although enough has been retained to allow the COABC to continue the position until at least the end of October.
Rochelle Eisen, who was hired as the organic extension agent, says the government has so far denied their request for ongoing funding, instead suggesting COABC apply for funding for specific projects under Growing Forward.
“Right now it looks pretty bleak,” COABC president Brad Reid says, calling the organic extension agent “such a vital part of the organization.”
“I think we’ve built a great service,” Eisen says, saying she has received over 5,000 enquiries during her three years on the job. “The demand for service is increasing. The longer I’m here, the more inquiries I get.”
She says the inquiries come from all sorts of people. About a quarter are from existing organic producers who want help with understanding regulations and accessing certified organic supplies. Another quarter come from conventional growers and other people interested in getting into organic agriculture. About half are from government, resource people, suppliers and consultants seeking information about the sector.
Reid does not think the sector made a mistake by asking for funding to hire its own agent rather than working through government saying BCMAL “didn’t have the people with the experience to do it.”
“The mistake is the government not funding us,” he insists, claiming it is less costly for COABC to hire an extension agent than for government to provide one.
Facing the loss of the agent, 25 representatives of the organic community, led by Gunta Vitins of SunOpta, Canada’s largest organic distributor, recently sent a letter to Premier Gordon Campbell asking for funding to reinstate the program.
“If anyone is central and key to the organic sector in B.C., it is the Organic Extension Agent, and the loss of this position will be a major setback to organics and a hindrance to continuing growth of organic food production in B.C.,” the letter states, claiming it would take only $150,000 annually to maintain current services. It notes the service has been supported by the COABC, BCMAL agriculture specialists, Canadian agriculture researchers and extension agents and agriculture specialists from other provinces.
“When people say it’s only for existing growers, it’s not,” Vitins says. “As somone who’s on the distribution side, I constantly get calls from growers who want to transition to organic and I have someone to refer them to.”
The letter lists three reasons why an organic extension agent is important to the province.
Organic Extension increases organic production in B.C. by helping current organic producers and processors overcome barriers (and) by supporting non-organic operators to move to organic production. With a significant portion of consumers throughout British Columbia increasingly seeking organic products, it benefits the local economy to fill that shelf space with B.C.-produced rather than imported products.
The Organic Extension Services has assisted B.C.’s adaptation to the new federal Organic Products Regulation, helping minimize the potential negative impacts of such adjustments within the province.
Providing Organic Extension Services in British Columbia helps level the playing field with our American neighbours. In Washington State, organic producers receive certification fee subsidies (up to $750 U.S. per year) and have access to over 40 state scientists doing pertinent research and seven experienced state extension agents.
Vitins calls the organic extension service “a perfect fit with government objectives.”
The letter notes organic agriculture meets the vision of the government’s Ag Plan: a growing economy, achieving environmental sustainability, mitigation of climate change and contributing to the health of British Columbians, claiming organic agriculture mitigates climate change better than any other system of agriculture, reduces the carbon footprint, builds the rural and urban agriculture community, creates farming opportunities and jobs, and stimulates local economies.
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