Modernizing Agriculture in Newfoundland & Labrador: Breaking Barriers, Building Resilience (Volume 1: The Municipal Level)

Introduction

As of March 2025, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) stand at a pivotal moment in addressing food security and agricultural sustainability. Over the past decade, the province has experienced a steady decline in farm numbers, with one in five farms shutting down between 2011 and 2016 (Statistics Canada, 2016). While recent initiatives have aimed to reverse this trend, barriers to agricultural expansion remain deeply rooted in outdated municipal policies and regulatory frameworks.

Despite these challenges, there has been notable progress. NL successfully met its target of increasing local food production by 20% (Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, 2023), demonstrating the potential for continued growth—provided regulatory hurdles are addressed. Outdated municipal development regulations, restrictive zoning, and arbitrary land-use policies still prevent communities from fully embracing sustainable agricultural practices, including urban and residential food production.

This report, the first in a four-part series, analyzes the regulatory barriers that continue to stifle agricultural innovation at the municipal level and presents policy solutions that align with whole-system thinking to foster food resilience across the province.

Identifying the Barriers: The Regulatory Maze

1. Outdated Definitions of Agriculture Many municipal regulations in NL still rely on definitions borrowed from the UK’s 1947 Agriculture Act (UK Agriculture Act, 1947), failing to differentiate between commercial farming, homesteading, and personal food production. This outdated framework leads to unnecessary restrictions on activities ranging from backyard gardens to urban farms.

2. Restrictive Zoning & Land Use Policies

• In over 53% of municipalities, all forms of agriculture—including personal gardens—are classified as non-conforming land uses in residential areas (Newfoundland and Labrador Municipal Affairs, 2024).
• Livestock regulations impose inconsistent minimum land requirements that often exceed best-practice guidelines, making small-scale livestock operations unfeasible in many areas (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 2023).

3. Bureaucratic Hurdles Farmers and residents seeking to grow food still face a patchwork of permit requirements, discretionary approvals, and zoning inconsistencies. The complexity discourages new entrants into the sector and limits the expansion of existing farms (Newfoundland Federation of Agriculture, 2024).

4. Lack of Alignment with Provincial & Federal Policies While NL has policies to encourage agricultural expansion, such as the Canadian Agricultural Partnership and the Way Forward on Agriculture (AAFC, 2023), municipal regulations often fail to reflect these priorities. There is a disconnect between provincial agricultural growth strategies and the restrictive zoning and development rules enforced by municipalities.

Whole-System Thinking: A New Approach to Agricultural Policy

To modernize NL’s agricultural landscape, policymakers must adopt a whole-system approach that integrates municipal, provincial, and industry stakeholders (Walker & Salt, 2012). This requires:

• Regulatory Harmonization – Ensuring municipal bylaws align with provincial agricultural strategies.
• Flexibility in Zoning – Recognizing that food production can be successfully integrated into residential and urban spaces without disrupting communities.
• Evidence-Based Policies – Moving away from arbitrary land-use requirements to regulations grounded in modern agricultural best practices.

Best Practices & Lessons from Progressive Municipalities

While most municipalities in NL still follow outdated regulations, some have pioneered progressive agricultural policies:

• Bay Roberts, Grand-Falls Windsor, and Spaniard’s Bay classify urban agriculture as an “accessory use”, meaning residents can grow food without additional permits (NL Municipal Affairs, 2024).
• St. John’s has introduced species-neutral animal control regulations, making it possible for residents to keep small livestock under regulated conditions (City of St. John’s, 2024).
• Harbour Main-Chapel’s Cove-Lakeview has the most permissive zoning laws for food production, setting an example for others (Harbour Main-Chapel’s Cove-Lakeview Planning Board, 2024).

By analyzing the successes of these municipalities, other communities in NL can adopt similar policies without starting from scratch.

Policy Recommendations: A Roadmap for Change

To build a stronger, more resilient agricultural sector, NL should pursue the following reforms at the municipal level:

1. Modernize Agricultural Definitions & Land Use Classes

• Establish clear distinctions between personal food production, urban agriculture, and commercial farming (FAO, 2023).
• Allow food production as an accessory use in residential and urban zones.

2. Standardize & Simplify Livestock Regulations

• Implement consistent animal unit definitions that reflect modern best practices (AAFC, 2023).
• Reduce excessive minimum land requirements to support small-scale livestock operations.

3. Align Municipal & Provincial Policies

• Require municipal zoning to align with provincial agricultural growth strategies (Government of NL, 2023).
• Incentivize municipalities to adopt urban agriculture policies through funding and support programs.

4. Reduce Bureaucratic Barriers

• Streamline permitting processes to make it easier for residents and small farms to grow food.
• Implement a sole proprietorship/partnership business registry to support small agricultural enterprises (Small Business NL, 2024).

5. Promote Food Security Through Community Engagement

• Encourage municipalities to create agricultural advisory panels to guide local policy decisions.
• Support public awareness campaigns on the benefits of urban and residential agriculture (Food Secure Canada, 2023).

Conclusion

This report is the first in a four-part series examining agricultural policy barriers and solutions in NL. While this volume focuses on municipal-level challenges and reforms, future volumes will explore:

• Volume 2: Provincial-Level Agricultural Policies – Examining the role of provincial policies, funding programs, and systemic barriers that impact NL’s agricultural sector.
• Volume 3: Keeping NL Agriculture in NL – The Federal Dimension – Analyzing the impact of federal policies, trade agreements, and food import dependencies on NL agriculture.
• Volume 4: A Unified Vision for Agricultural Resilience – Bringing together municipal, provincial, and federal perspectives to present a cohesive agricultural policy strategy for Newfoundland and Labrador.

The time to act is now. By removing municipal barriers and implementing whole-system agricultural policies, NL can position itself as a leader in sustainable food production, ensuring that its communities are food-secure, economically vibrant, and environmentally resilient for generations to come.

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References

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. (2023). Canadian Agricultural Partnership: National Policy Framework.

City of St. John’s. (2024). Urban Agriculture and Livestock Policies.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). (2023). Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Policies.

Food Secure Canada. (2023). Building Resilient Food Systems in Canada.

Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. (2023). Way Forward on Agriculture: Achieving a 20% Increase in Local Food Production.

Harbour Main-Chapel’s Cove-Lakeview Planning Board. (2024). Municipal Planning Review.

Newfoundland and Labrador Municipal Affairs. (2024). Zoning and Agricultural Land Use Policies.

Newfoundland Federation of Agriculture. (2024). Annual Report on Agricultural Barriers and Solutions.

Statistics Canada. (2016). Agricultural Census Data for Newfoundland and Labrador.

UK Agriculture Act. (1947). Definitions of Agricultural Land Use.

Walker, B., & Salt, D. (2012). Resilience Thinking: Sustaining Ecosystems and People in a Changing World. Washington, D.C.: Island Press.

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