Urban Agricultural Plan

Urban agriculture has environmental, economic and social benefits for our city.

The City of Beaumont released a comprehensive Urban Agriculture Plan [pdf] in November 2023 to support the City’s vision of continuing to be a nimble agricultural innovator and empowers the community to engage in urban agriculture, while connecting new local initiatives to Beaumont’s rich agricultural heritage in a just and sustainable way.

Agriculture is a celebrated pillar of Beaumont’s heritage, and the city recognizes the role that urban agriculture can play in enhancing the community’s future. The City of Beaumont’s Urban Agriculture Plan supports the vision of a culture of community support for agriculture, while also promoting long-term positive impacts on environmental, social and economic conditions in Beaumont through varied and resilient solutions.

Action steps

The Urban Agriculture Plan highlights twelve key action steps:

  1. Hire an Interdisciplinary Plan Coordinator.
  2. Establish an Urban Agriculture Committee.
  3. Investigate the feasibility and technical requirements for urban bee and hen programs.
  4. Create public partnerships to deliver and promote agricultural education and awareness.
  5. Update existing policies, plans and bylaws to reflect urban agriculture directives.
  6. Create an urban agriculture webpage.
  7. Develop an urban agriculture marketing strategy.
  8. Coordinate and partner to provide pilot programs.
  9. Investigate urban agriculture funding opportunities from higher levels of government.
  10. Investigate the feasibility and technical requirements for boulevard-based gardening.
  11. Create terms of reference for community gardens.
  12. Develop an open space retrofit program for urban agriculture and winter activities.

The city will move forward any action steps that may be implemented in the short-term, and will report back to Council by the end of the second quarter of 2024.

What is urban agriculture?

Urban agriculture is the practice of cultivating, processing, and distributing food in or around an urban area. This can include growing plants or raising animals on public or private property. Some examples of urban agriculture can include community gardens, edible landscaping, indoor herb gardens, backyard chickens, beekeeping and more. You may have seen examples of urban agriculture programs in other regional municipalities, including Edmonton.

Background

From October 11 to November 23, 2022, residents had the opportunity to share their feedback on the future of urban agriculture in Beaumont. The public survey and workshops gathered ideas for where there were opportunities and challenges for urban agriculture and asked residents to create a vision for the future of urban agriculture in Beaumont. View the What We Heard Report [pdf] from the first phase of public engagement, which highlights results from residents’ and stakeholders’ input.

From May 15 to June 9, 2023, residents had the opportunity to share their feedback and level of support for the Urban Agriculture Plan’s strategic actions, goals, and vision. View the What We Heard Report [pdf] to review the results of the second round of public engagement.

Additional information

Urban Bees and Chickens FAQs

Currently, chickens are prohibited in Beaumont except on agricultural properties in the Agricultural Holdings zone. Please confirm the zoning of your property by contacting the Planning Department at planning@beaumont.ab.ca or 780-929-8782.   

Currently, bees are prohibited in Beaumont except on agricultural properties in the Agricultural Holdings zone. Please confirm the zoning of your property by contacting the Planning Department at planning@beaumont.ab.ca or 780-929-8782.  

There is currently no approval process in place to allow a person to have bees or chickens in a residential zone in Beaumont.  

Beaumont is exploring the feasibility of potential urban agriculture pilot programs, including a trial for backyard bees and hens. This project is in its early stages, and we are carefully considering all potential impacts on the community. As such, we cannot guarantee that a program will be recommended or adopted. Currently, the city is not accepting requests related to this project.