3.2 ALR Land
Number of Parcels in the ALR
1,500
ALR PARCEL SIZE AND AREA
900
914
899
698
600
442
285
32-64
16-32
8-16
4-8
2-4
1-2
<1
51
0
6
>64
300
Parcel Size (ha)
Figure 6: Number of parcels in the ALR
Source: City of Abbotsford
Note: Excludes parcels that overlap the ALR boundary
7,761
8,000
Area in the ALR
7,000
5,950
6,000
4,921
5,000
4,000
3,382
3,000
2,043
2,000
697
>64
32-64
16-32
8-16
4-8
436
2-4
0
374
1-2
1,000
<1
This points to a relationship between active farming and farmland
parcel size, whereby the smaller the parcel the less likely it is to be
farmed. The following Map 3 shows the western areas of the city,
Bradner-Mt. Lehman and Aberdeen-South Poplar, having a higher
concentration of parcels under 4 ha in size.
Total Number of Parcels
Looking at parcel size in the ALR, 58% of the parcels are less than
4 ha, with the average size being 5.6 ha and median size being 3.3
ha. Furthermore, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Agricultural Land Use
Inventory (ALUI) completed for Abbotsford in 2012 found that 61%
of parcels in the ALR (included in the inventory) were less than 4
ha, and available with potential for farming but were not used for
farming.
1,269
1,200
Total Area (ha)
Agricultural land comprises a significant portion of the City of
Abbotsford. Location and proximity to markets, a moderate climate
combined with high quality soils and groundwater enables a broad
range of agricultural opportunities. Based on City data, the ALR
in Abbotsford consists of approximately 27,000 hectares (ha) and
4,600 parcels, resulting in nearly 75% of the total land base.
Parcel Size (ha)
Figure 7: Total area in the ALR
Source: City of Abbotsford
AgRefresh
Enhancing Agriculture in Abbotsford
27
ALR Parcels <4 ha
Small Parcels
Parcels < 4 ha
Boundaries
Agricultural Land Reserve
Approved For Exclusion
City Boundary
First Nations
28
Map 3: ALR parcels <4 ha
Source: City of Abbotsford
ALR Parcels >4 ha
Large Parcels
Parcels > 4 H
Boundaries
Agricultural Land Reserve
4-8 ha
Approved For Exclusion
8-16 ha
First Nations
16-32 ha
City Boundary
32-64 ha
64-128 ha
Map 4: ALR parcels >4 ha
Source: City of Abbotsford
29