Abbotsford Agriculture Facts

The City of Abbotsford is located in the Central Fraser Valley in British Columbia, Canada. With a population of more than 125,000 it is the fifth largest city in the province.

Agriculture provides a strong foundation under the city’s economy - annual gross farm receipts exceeded $450 million in 2001 and accounted for close to 20% of the province’s gross farm receipts in 2000.

As one of the most intensively farmed areas in Canada, Abbotsford supports
significant berry, vegetable, greenhouse, dairy, poultry and hog operations. In addition, the city’s industrial sector reflects strong agricultural roots with food processing, seed, feed and fertilizer production and produce storage industries.

A total of 74% of Abbotsford’s land area (27,710 hectares) is within the
Agricultural Land Reserve. Of this, 22,515 hectares were being farmed in 2001.

The City has a "City in the Country Plan" which attempts to balance urban and rural issues faced by this growing municipality.

A higher percentage of Abbotsford’s labour force works in agriculture than in any other city in BC’s Lower Mainland.

The Abbotford Soil Conservation Association (ASCA)is a registered non-profit society that is “directed by farmers, for farmers and the benefit of the community”. The Association uses a cooperative approach in the development of sustainable land stewardship strategies that offer economical and effective solutions to issues related to soil conservation, water quality, and nutrient management.

Our goals are to promote:

• The conservation of agricultural land in the City of Abbotsford, for the benefit of present and future generations
• The long-term management of soil and water resources to enhance the productivity and profitability of agricultural lands
• The advancement of crop health and integrated crop management through environmental sustainability and biodiversity in a whole farm systems approach