The greenbelt foundation appears to be a very successful foundation that has protected 1.8 million kilometres of valuable farmland, and environmentally sensitive areas from urban development and sprawl. The website for the greenbelt has extensive coverage on the number of farms that are protected in the green belt as well as how many crops and products are provided by those farms. The map shows all the area that has been developed, as well as all the land that has not been protected, including a long stretch of the Bruce Trail.
The Christian Farmer’s Federation of Ontario (CFFO) is looking for an assessment to be completed on the impact of the greenbelt. The concern is that farmers in the greenbelt may not be making enough money to sustain themselves, further rendering the protection of land useless. The CFFO has outline a number of criteria to determine signs of prosperity and important measures of change so that shifts in the nature of farming within the greenbelt can be identified. The goal here is to use this as a start to identify other land use policies in Ontario.
After a brief look at the CFFO’s website, there are some documents where they have expressed other concerns about the greenbelt. One document, The Impact of the Places to Grow Act and the Greenbelt on Farmland, expresses a concern that the unprotected land outside the greenbelt will soon be subject to development and sprawl. The same document also lists recommendations and an important one mentioned is the redevelopment of brownfields and greyfields in order to clean up these possibly environmentally threatening areas in our cities.
The greenbelt foundation has done a great job with advertising through the establishment of road signs that signify where one enters the greenbelt. Through the website, I was also able to find a directory to over 80 farmer’s markets and locations where local produce can be sold.
I strongly encourage anyone interested to visit the website for the greenbelt foundation and take a look around! Ontario’s Greenbelt