Research projects


Agricultural Land Use Planning in Canada (Farmland Protection)

The broad aim of my research is to generate insights and provide resources that will help strengthen legislative frameworks to better protect agricultural land in Canada.

For more information, visit the research program website:
Agricultural Land Use Planning:  Strengthening Farmland Protection
 

Agricultural Land Use Policy in Canada:  Integrating National Interests

2018
Funding:  Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada:  Policy Research Fund
Is protecting farmland a matter of national interest?  If so, should the federal government play a stronger role in agricultural land use planning?  The purpose of this project was to explore and assess potential roles and contributions of the federal government in agricultural land use planning (AgLUP) vis-à-vis other levels of government.  The project had two main objectives:  to examine possible roles of the federal government in AgLUP using different scenarios for integrating national agri-food policy interests within farmland preservation policy; to improve our understanding of the levels of influence of municipal, regional, and provincial governments in AgLUP.  Combined, these objectives helped to understand not only the possible role of the federal government regarding farmland protection but also how a federal intervention might affect legislative frameworks of other levels of government.  Methods were based on a two-stage interview process with key informants that examined the validity and viability of six possible roles of the federal government.  We identified these roles based on a legal review.  A questionnaire-based exercise was completed prior to a telephone interview.  The key informants were provincial-level experts in AgLUP from across Canada. 


Agricultural Land Use Planning in Canada:  A Study of Principles and Beneficial Practices for Integrating Public Priorities for Agriculture and Food across Jurisdictions

2013-2018
Funding:  SSHRC Insight Grant
The purpose of our research was to critically examine how the changing role and value of agriculture within Canadian society today affects agricultural land use planning within and across national, provincial, and local jurisdictions. We had three objectives related to this general purpose.
  1. To analyse three inter-related policy regimes within Canada’s agri-food system: the long-standing policy regimes of global competitiveness and farmland preservation; and the nascent regime of food sovereignty. The aim is to understand the emergence, strength and compatibility of these three policy regimes in Canada. A policy regime and its changes refer to the combination of issues, ideas, interests, actors and institutions that are involved.
  2. To undertake case studies to fill strategic gaps in our understanding of how agricultural land use planning processes accommodate public priorities associated with the identified three policy regimes. The aim is to identify principles and beneficial practices that represent integrated land use planning solutions in rural, peri-urban and urban areas that protect farmland and leverage non-agricultural production functions supported by farmland.
  3. To mobilise knowledge gained from the proposed research by hosting a series of regional workshops across Canada focussed on applying beneficial practices in agricultural land use planning. Workshop results will culminate in a national forum to formulate policy recommendations for conserving farmland.


An Evaluation of the Investment Agriculture Foundation Local Government Agricultural Planning Program

2011
Funding:  Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia
Since 1999 the Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia (IAF) has funded the Local Government Agricultural Planning (LGAP) program to support projects that will lead to the development of agricultural plans within municipalities and regional districts.  As of May 2010, this funding program had led to the development of 27 agricultural plans and strategies in the Province.  An evaluation of the LGAP program was completed between May and December, 2010.  The aim of the evaluation was to contribute to knowledge of what projects have been able to deliver the most significant value and which ones encountered problems.  The broad objective was to use the findings of the evaluation to improve the development of future agricultural planning in order to strengthen municipal planning processes, protect the importance of agriculture, and promote its viability.


Agri-Food Systems


Canada-British Columbia Agri-Innovation Program (CBCAIP):  Program Review

2017
Funding:  Investment Agriculture Foundation of British Columbia
The Investment Agriculture Foundation (IAF) conducted a review of the Canada-BC Agri-Innovation Program (CBCAIP) that it delivers.  The CBCAIP is designed to help industry improve its capacity to be competitive and sustainable.  Funding is provided through the federal-provincial Growing Forward 2 Agreement.  The purpose of the program review, which was completed from July to October, 2017, was to:
  • Assess and report on the impacts and outcomes of the Program;
  • Address how the financial support provided by the Program has created a foundation for the agri-food sector to innovate and become more profitable;
  • Identify and address opportunities and challenges facing projects/participants at the various aims of the innovation continuum:  Research and Development (R&D); Pilot and Demonstration (P&D); and Commercialization and Adoption (C&A); and,
  • Determine what performance benchmarks Program participants are using to measure their project success and identify potential future benchmarks that could be consistently implemented for assessing project and program performance.
The results of the evaluation helped the IAF to obtain a better understanding of the needs and challenges facing BC's agricultural sector and how the IAF and its funding partners can better support BC's agriculture-related sectors.  For this purpose, 24 interviews were completed, covering a wide range of projects by both innovation priority and innovation area.  Ten of 14 sector groups are represented in the review.  In addition, three case studies were completed.


Farmers Markets


Economic and Social Benefits of Farmers Markets


OVERVIEW
The demand for locally produced fresh, nutritious food by local consumers has grown rapidly over the past ten years.  So too has the number of farmers markets.  As the most visible and accessible component of our local food systems, farmers markets have strengthened their role as providing unique places for local producers and local consumers to connect.  Although this role of farmers markets within local food systems is well recognised, it is important to know not only what markets contribute to local areas but also to know how much they contribute.  A national study of farmers markets was completed in 2009 and provincial studies of markets in British Columbia were completed in 2006 and 2012.

National study
In 2009, I worked with Experience Renewal Solutions to complete a national study of the economic benefits of farmers markets.  The report provides a baseline study that serves as a benchmark for measurement of the contributions of farmers markets across Canada and an assessment of trends and opportunities for growth.

British Columbia
The Economic and Social Benefits of Farmers Markets in BC project supports the economic diversification of British Columbia’s small-scale agriculture industry by focussing on the development of farmers markets in communities across the province. Our purpose was to measure the social and economic benefits of farmers markets across British Columbia in order to quantify the significant contributions of farmers markets and to increase their visibility both locally and provincially.  Measuring impacts helped fill a critical gap in farmers markets’ business plans by providing a benchmark that is currently lacking for direct farm marketing but is available for other types of agriculture in the province.
The provincial study was completed twice.  The study was completed in 2006 and again in 2012.  This provided us with an incredible opportunity to evaluate changes among farmers markets over the six-year period.  We found:
  • There were significantly more market days offered (more markets and more markets selling on more days)
  • More shoppers attended farmers markets
  • individual shoppers spent more, on average.
In 2012 we completed assessments for 33 individual markets.  Final reports are available for each market and for the province.
FUNDING
This project was a collaborative effort between Dr. David J Connell and the BC Association of Farmers' Markets.  Funding for this project was provided by the Investment Agriculture Foundation and its funding partners the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia, the University of Northern British Columbia, and individual farmers markets.  In-kind support was provided by BC Association of Farmers Markets.


The Core Business of Farmers Markets

For farmers markets to be successful, we believe that a farmers market must be able to think of itself as a business.  As well, a market must think of itself as a business that operates separately from its vendors.  Most farmers markets view themselves as a collection of vendors.  The path to changing the way we view farmers markets starts by changing the way we view their core business. 
The aim of our guide to strategic planning is to help farmers markets understand their core business.  We believe that farmers markets can be more successful if they have a better understanding of how they function as a business and then use this understanding as the foundation for strategic planning. Ideally, the materials in this guide complement other ways of looking at a farmers market and build upon what you already know. 


Vendor Recruitment/Selling at Farmers Markets

In collaboration with the British Columbia Farmers' Markets Association (BCAFM), we developed a series of pamphlets about recruiting farmer vendors and about farmers selling at markets.  We learned from prospective farmer vendors that they wanted to hear more than the standard sales pitch about how great it is to sell at farmers’ markets; they wanted more details about who was selling at farmers’ markets and what farmers’ markets had to offer them.  The reality is that farmers’ markets are not for every farmer.  What works for one farmer may not work for another.  The aims of the pamphlet series are to (a) provide farmers with sufficient information to be able to determine whether selling at a farmers’ market will match with their business goals; and (b) provide farmers markets with a better understanding of how to engage with prospective farmer vendors.

The Selling at BC’s Farmers’ Markets series includes profiles of BC’s farmers’ markets, its market customers, and its vendors.  The vendors are also profiled for each of the following product groups:  vegetable, fruit, fruit & vegetables, and meat.  Each profile is presented as a four-page pamphlet.  All of these materials are available below.

A Guide for New Farmer Vendors

The purpose of A Guide for New Farmer Vendors is to help farmers decide whether or not selling at a farmers market is a good strategy for their business.  The materials are presented in six parts:

  • The business of farmers markets
  • Selling at farmers markets
  • Market policies
  • Your priorities
  • General information
  • Resources

A Guide for Farmers Markets

The purpose of A Guide for Farmers’ Markets is to help farmers markets to recruit new vendors.  Our aim is to provide a set of materials that helps markets to move beyond the standard sales pitch often used to recruit farmer vendors.  This standard pitch relies on the premise that a farmers’ market sells itself and that farmers just need to hear about the potential benefits.  While this pitch to recruit new farmer vendors has served markets well, and will continue to serve some markets, we find that other markets are looking for different strategies to recruit new farmer vendors.  Just as shoppers have more options to buy local food, so too do farmers.  Selling at a farmers market is only one option of many that are available to farmers.  Consequently, farmers markets have to be more strategic to attract the interest of more farmers.

Profiles of Farmers Market Vendors

To develop this series of pamphlets, we interviewed over 150 farmers who are selling at farmers markets.  Based on the data collected, we created the following set of profiles.  The intent of each profile is to give a prospective farmer vendor some insight about who is selling currently at farmers markets.  With this information, prospective vendors will be in a better position to determine whether selling at a farmers market fits within the priorities of their own operation.  In addition, we created a profile of farmers market customers based on the data collected from the socio-economic benefits studies.


Ancient Cedars of the Upper Fraser River Valley, BC


Community and Economic Benefits of the Inland Rainforest of the Upper Fraser River Valley

The ancient cedars in British Columbia’s upper Fraser River watershed are now protected better. The Ancient Forest/Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park was enacted as a Class A park on May 19, 2016.  In the Lheidli T’enneh language, chun t’oh whudujut means “oldest trees.”  The area of the park is 11,190 ha, with an additional 685 ha of protected areas for a total of 11,875 hectares.  Read more in the 2016 Research Bulletin below.
Research bulletins

Journal articles
  • Connell, D. J., J. Hall, and J. Shultis (2016).  “Ecotourism and forestry:  A study of tension in a peripheral region of British Columbia, Canada.  Journal of Ecotourism. 1-21.  DOI:  10.1080/14724049.2016.1255221
  • Connell, D. J., Jessica Shapiro, and Loraine Lavallee (2015).  Held Forest Values of the Ancient Cedars of British Columbia.  Society and Natural Resources: An International Journal, 28(12): 1,323-1,339. DOI: 10.1080/08941920.2015.1041660
  • Coxson, D. S., T. Goward, and D. J. Connell (2012). “Analysis of Ancient Western Redcedar Stands in the Upper Fraser River Watershed and Scenarios for Protection.”  Journal of Ecosystems and Management 13(3):1–20.

Graduate theses
  • Forest Values Surrounding Ancient Cedar Stands in British Columbia's Inland Temperate Rainforest
Jessica N. Shapiro, Master of Arts, Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (2012)
ABSTRACT  The Inland Temperate Rainforest (ITR) of British Columbia is a globally unique ecosystem containing areas of high biodiversity, including ancient cedar stands in the upper Fraser River valley. The forest is located in a region historically focused on the economic values of timber. Increased research about and recreational use of the forest, however, has demonstrated a wider array of forest values that is yet to be fully documented. The purpose of this research is to document the breadth of forest values surrounding the ancient cedar stands to gain a better understanding of the significance of this globally unique forest. Through content analysis, as well as surveys conducted in two communities in the ITR, data were collected from trail users, the public, and local residents. Results reveal a broad set of forest values that inform the ongoing debate currently surrounding the best and highest use of the ancient cedar stands.
  • Assessing the Economic Benefits of Ancient Forest Trail Ecotourism in McBride, British Columbia
John Hall, Master of Arts, Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (2013)
ABSTRACT  McBride, British Columbia, has long relied on forestry as the primary sector of its economy. With shrinking employment, timber demand and supply, community members are now pursuing opportunities for economic diversification. Tourism has been identified as one of three initiatives aimed at improving local economic stability and diversification. An emerging element in the region’s ecotourism potential is the Ancient Forest Trail (AFT). The purpose of this research is to assess the AFT’s potential economic benefit as a tourist attraction and contributor to economic diversification. First, the number of AFT tourists and their economic benefit is calculated using a trail counter and questionnaires. Second, AFT ecotourism is examined in the context of local economic diversification, using economic analyses to describe the structure and dynamics of the local economy and key informant interviews to access community knowledge. Results describe a local economy in transition, an emerging ecotourism attraction with a positive economic benefit, and a community disagreement regarding tourism as an economic priority.

Background information
In September, 2007, Dr. David J. Connell launched a study to explore possible answers to the matter of whether or not we should be harvesting cedars from the inland rainforest of the upper Fraser River valley.  The purpose of the study is to examine the community and economic benefits of non-timber uses of this inland wet-temperate rainforest.  In other words, the project is trying to assess the value of not cutting down thousand-year-old cedar trees to compare to the value of harvesting these trees.  The inland rainforest is home to a unique forest ecosystem that combines attributes of BC’s coastal rainforests and Canada’s northern boreal forests.  The magnificence of this ancient forest rivals that of the well-known coastal rainforests of BC, yet has not received the same level or kind of attention.  One of the reasons for the lack of attention on this inland rainforest is its low timber value.  In contrast with the high timber-value forests of Clayoquot Sound for example, the low timber-value of the hollow cedars of the upper Fraser River valley, some of which are estimated to be over one thousand years old, and perhaps two thousand years old, does not garner the same attention from industry, government, or the general public.  The outcome is lower potential for conflict among alternative uses of the rainforest. 
However, as the few remaining stands of ancient cedars come under increasing pressure of harvesting and the demand for other uses increases, the need to ask more questions about competing values increases.  This potential for conflict stands in sharp contrast with the limited knowledge of the rainforest’s economic potential and conservation values.  Its remote location, limited access, and low timber value leave the thousand year-old cedars not only under-appreciated, but also relatively unknown.

This study of the economic and community benefits of non-timber uses helps advance practices for the use and conservation of the inland rainforest that enhance the social, economic and environmental well-being of northern communities in BC.  The research will advance long-term planning and land development management of the area and will assist people to respond positively to change and growth related to competing interests.

With funding from the Future Forest Ecosystems Scientific Council (FFESC), the project completed another phase of research.  The social and biological values associated with the inland rainforest was examined in the context of possible effects of climate change.  Our examination focussed on assessments in three major areas: (a) perceived values of future non-timber uses of the ITR; (b) perceptions of vulnerability of non-timber uses under different climate change scenarios; and (c) opportunities for adaptation.