Land use - intensive agriculture

Intensive agriculture, sometimes called small agriculture, provides access to up to 15 hectares of Crown land for commercial farm production. This land use encourages and supports the sustainable development of commercial farms in British Columbia.

On this page

• Application documents
• Who may apply?
• Types of tenures
• Fees and costs
• Special requirements

Specifically, intensive agriculture is defined as the use of Crown land for the commercial production of animals, fruits and/or vegetables including poultry farms, dairy farms, market gardens, greenhouses, nurseries, piggeries and feed lots.

Under the Intensive Agriculture Program, agricultural Crown land is made available to encourage and support the sustainable development of commercial farms in British Columbia. An additional benefit is retaining agricultural Crown land for agricultural use.

This program provides up to 15 hectares of Crown land for commercial farm production. Permission to use agricultural Crown land is obtained by application to the Province of British Columbia (the Province). 

Application documents

Review these documents prior to submitting your application:

• Intensive Agriculture Policy (PDF, 152KB)
• Sample Site Maps

The following documents must be completed prior to submitting your application:

• Crown Land Application (including site map)
• Agriculture - Intensive Requirement List/Management Plan (PDF, 136 KB)

Who may apply?

An applicant must be one of the following: 

• A Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada, 19 years of age or older
• A corporation registered in British Columbia or incorporated under the laws of Canada
• A registered partnership

Types of tenures

Crown land for intensive agriculture is available through public competition or through direct sales in areas designated as intensive agricultural lands.

Crown land may be accessed under the following terms: 

• A fee simple disposition of Crown land for intensive agricultural use is a permanent disposition
• A lease is available for a standard 30-year term, with a provision for replacement mid-way through the term

Fees and costs

Applicants must pay the following (where applicable):

• Application fee as identified in the Crown Land Fees schedule (PDF, 49KB)
• For a sale of Crown land, full market value of the land plus the current value of the merchantable timber on the land at the time of the sale
• For a lease, rents are charged at a rate of 5% of the land value per annum plus applicable tax 
• For a lease, minimum annual rent is $675

Special requirements

• Applications for Crown land for intensive agriculture will require an operations plan that indicates the nature of use, proposed location and size of improvements, areas to be cultivated, and timing of development
• Prior to the sale of Crown land for intensive agriculture, the applicant may be required to obtain approvals from Ministry of Health Services, and/or from Pollution Prevention and Remediation within the Ministry of Environment

The most common reason for delay is submission of an incomplete application, which is then returned to the applicant.

If your application is accepted, you will be notified if Advertising is required. Please wait for confirmation before advertising.