The Impacts of On-farm Diversification to the Family Farm and the Intersection of Land Preservation through Public Planning in Ontario

Have you ever wondered what prompts Ontario family farmers to diversify, what land use planning policies allow for alternative uses on farms and how Ontario can continue to preserve agricultural lands as family farming continues to change? This primary research objective is to understand how on-farmdiversification impacts the family farm and what the intersection of on-farm diversification and land preservation is through public planning policy in Ontario. The 2016 OMAFRA Guidelines on PermittedUses in Ontario’s Prime Agricultural Areas was/is the first tool that provides family farmingentrepreneurs and municipal government planners opportunities to create on-farm diversified uses whilebalancing agricultural land preservation. This research will: Endeavour to explore which rural municipalities are using this tool efficiently andeffectively; Discover if the Guidelines are assisting entrepreneurs and identifying bestpractices; Identify if it is only prime agricultural lands that warrant these Guidelines for landpreservation; Acknowledge if the Guidelines are preserving prime agricultural lands; and Propose changes to the Ontario planning policy framework regarding on-farm diversification andland preservation. Overall, it is simply not enough to preserve agriculture land in Ontario, we must also preserve the family farmer Keywords: on-farm diversification; land preservation; family farm; Ontario planning policy