In the summer of 2011, an Agricultural Land Use Inventory (ALUI) was conducted within the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK). The ALUI was funded by RDEK and was completed with in-kind support from the BC Ministry of Agriculture.

ALUIs can be used to understand which agricultural activities are occurring in the surveyed area. The data provides an estimate of the capacity for agricultural expansion, and the amount of land within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) that is not available for agriculture. The data can also be used to model agricultural water demand and estimate the amount of water required for irrigation.