The Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) has served as a defining feature of British Columbia agriculture since it was instituted 40 years ago.
Applications to exclude land earlier placed in the reserve occur frequently and generate concern both from farmers and the general public; when approved, they affect not only a specific piece of land but also the surrounding landscape. As the ALR was founded before geographic information systems technology was available, changes over time to the land reserve have not been easily visualized or understood. Dr. Lenore Newman and her research team have produced a set of maps and accompanying photographs of the changing boundaries of the ALR in the Lower Mainland illustrating both the strengths and vulnerabilities of the reserve in a way that they have not been displayed previously.
Agricultural Land Reserve at a Crossroads, part of the Life in Agriburbia project, was funded in part through a grant from the Abbotsford Community Foundation, and is a project of the UFV Agriburban Research Centre (ARC).
