The agricultural sector in the Columbia Basin–Boundary has an important economic role in the region as well as in BC as a whole. Provincially, the agricultural sector contributes $1.2 billion annually to the province’s GDP, or 0.6%.1 The Kootenay Region (made up Regional District of the East Kootenay (RDEK), the Regional District of the Kootenay Boundary (RDKB), and the Regional District of the Central Kootenay (RDCK))accounts for 6% of the total farms and 6% of the total farmland in BC.2 The agricultural sector can contribute to regional food security, environmental health, and the social sustainability of rural communities.