Abstract
This case study of the Municipal County of Antigonish (MCA) in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia assessed the extent to which agricultural land use planning accommodates those societal interests seeking to embed food sovereignty at the municipal level. Data were collected through content analysis of legislative documents, key informant interviews, and a review of the grey literature. Results suggest that the relatively weak municipal planning system in place prioritizes private interests over the public interest in farmland protection. The resultant gaps in the legislative setup in the MCA further reveal that food sovereignty actors and/or ideas have little influence over municipal governance of farmland protection. Broader historical and contemporary trends in Nova Scotia and Canada at large suggest that farmland will continue to lose ground to forces intrinsic to the dominant policy paradigm of market liberalism. Concluding thoughts call for “bringing back the (Canadian) state” itself as central to constituting a new agricultural policy paradigm.
Highlights
Supporting food sovereignty and protecting farmland seem like compatible policies
To gain insights into the relationship between these two areas of policy, this paper presents the results of a case study of agricultural land use planning in the Municipal County of Antigonish (MCA) in northern Nova Scotia (NS), Canada (Map 1)
The MCA and Farmland Protection We selected an example of agricultural land use planning in the MCA from the Central Plan Area for this study because of its large size and extensive rural base, and the relatively recent (2013) passing of its Municipal Planning Strategy
Summary
Supporting food sovereignty and protecting farmland seem like compatible policies. at the local level, there appears to be a disconnect between the two. Keywords Agricultural Land Use Planning, Farmland Protection, Policy Regimes, Food Sovereignty
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
