1. Agriculture
By Ruedi Mani

2. Brief History of Agriculture
Farming began in BC in the 1800s
Fort Fraser was the first town to be farmed by non aboriginal people
Farming was needed to support the fur traders with food

3. Commercial demand for agriculture began during the caribou and Klondike gold rushes
Ranching began mainly in the Nicola and Thompson Valleys
Once the CPR was finished, it opened up a domestic market
Finally in the 1880’s the Okanagan started orchid farming

4. Importance of Agriculture
BC’s fertile soil and climate make it possible for farmers to create over 250 commodities to keep for consumption or to export
The agri-food industry is a main part of BC’s economy.
The industry has created over $2.2 billion in about 10 years

5. Almost 98% of all farming in BC is family run
Farmland takes up about 2.5 million hectares in BC
cattle are farmed in BC alone
In 2002 crops in BC earned over $1 billion

6. The problem Wetlands in BC benefit the environment in many ways
They are being converted into farmland and other agricultural areas ever since European settlers started farming
A lot of the wetlands that still exist are being polluted, eroded, and modified to meet our needs

7. Wetland Conversion
By 1997 the area of wetlands had declined by 50% since first settlement in North America
About 40% of the wetlands were converted for agricultural purposes.
About acres of wetland are drained or filled per year
The amount of wetlands being converted for agriculture since the 1950s is slowly dropping

8. Wetland Degradation Although wetland conversion is slowing down,
agriculture still has a large effect on wetland
areas in many ways
Such as groundwater being withdrawn for
irrigation and flooding that turn wetlands into
ponds or lakes
Sediment from soil erosion clogs wetlands
and limits the amount of water they can hold

9. Pollution and Alteration of Vegetation
The runoff from farmland contains pesticides, animal waste, fertilizers, and other toxic substances that pollute wetlands and effect the organisms living in and around it
Clearing vegetation or introducing non native plant species
can alter the native wildlife habitats
Some direct impacts of the grazing of livestock on wetlands
are trampling of soil, compaction of soil, the removal of
biomass, and alteration of the nutrients in the soil.

10. Global context of the issue
This issue isn’t just in BC but everywhere within the world with agriculture and wetlands is having this issue.
Since the 1600s more than half of the original wetlands in the lower 48 states have been drained or converted for other
uses
Destruction of wetlands can lead to increased flooding the extinction of species, and poor water quality.

11. Effects on animal populations
As more wetlands are destroyed, the continental population of ducks continues to decrease.
The continental duck population has decreased from 45
million to 31 million ducks in the last 15 years.
The pollution of wetlands caused by run off from agricultural
areas can effect the area so it is unlivable for its original
species

12. The Solution A way to limit pollution to the wetlands would be to stop
using chemical fertilizer and pesticides. This would make
the run off from agricultural areas less polluting.
One of the main acts we can do is to stop turning wetlands
into farmland and to restore the wetlands that have been
converted already.
Limiting the amount of cattle in an area will stop the soil from
being trampled and will allow for the plants to take in nutrients more naturally

13. Bibliography
"The Importance of Agriculture and Agri-Food to British Columbia." 1 Apr Web. 24 May <
"Agriculture's Impacts on Wetlands and Riparian Areas." Web. 24 May <
"Threats to Wetlands." 1 Sept Web. 24 May <