Saving farmland,a Canadian program

This paper deals primarily with the steps followed by the Ontario government to save farmland. The development of policy responses to preserve Ontario farmland are not of long-standing duration. Although the Urban Development in Rural Areas (UDIRA) policy announced in 1966, could have led to greater provincial supervision no action was undertaken in the form of direct controls or guidelines until ten years later. In 1976 the government published documents which were to lead to the establishment of Food Land Guidelines. The Guidelines have been effective in preserving farm land but since they have been operative for such a short time it is probably too early to make a definitive statement. The results of hearings with respect to the urbanization of prime tender fruit land in Niagara have shown the Guidelines to be effective in setting boundaries between urban and agricultural uses. Further proof of the durability of the Guidelines in maintaining land in agriculture is evidenced by the low resale rate of farm related lots to non-farm uses.