Sector Overview
The Central Okanagan has a long history of agricultural excellence, from the first apple trees planted in 1859, to the economic driver it is today. Agriculture in the region is supported by food processing facilities, adminstration infrastructure, post-secondary horticulture and agriculture programs, reliable transportation routes, and proximity to dense population centres. While agriculture parcels are smaller comparative to the Canadian prairie provinces due to geographical limitations of lakes and mountainous terrain, agriculture in the region benefits from the soil, topography and hot, sunny, dry climate.
Industry Highlights
- High quality farm operations with diverse offering of products including tree fruits (apples, cherries, plums, pears, peaches and apricots), vegetables and farm animals (chickens, sheep, goats, pigs, cows and horses)
- There are 870 farms in the Central Okanagan employing 4467 people
- 794 agri-food businesses in the Central Okanagan
- 299 fruit and tree nut farming businesses
- 74 beverage manufacturing businesses including kombucha, mead, spirits and cider
- 65 animal producers
- 65 greenhouse, nursery and floriculture producers
- The Okanagan Valley has 85% of the total vineyard acreage in BC
- The Okanagan Valley has 250 km of vineyards, representing over 8600 acres planted
- BC wine industry employs 12,000 people and has an economic impact of $2.8 billion annually
- The Okanagan Valley has 84% of the total vineyard acreage of BC
- The Agriculture Land Reserve (ALR) protects 6,000 hectares of prime agricultural land within BC, the ALR constitutes approximately 9% of the Central Okanagan's agricultural land
Employment Information
The talent pipeline is supported by responsive public post-secondary institutions and directed regional attraction and retention initiatives. Okanagan College offers training in viticulture and horticulture. The University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus offers partnerships in laboratory research and field-based work to support environmental sustainability, enhance understanding of local ecology, and adapt to climate change.
- Employment Data
- Wage and Salary Information
| Central Okanagan | Agriculture |
|---|---|
| Total Business | 642 |
| W/O Employees | 426 |
| W Employees | 216 |
| 1-4 | 96 |
| 5-9 | 46 |
| 10-19 | 37 |
| 20-49 | 18 |
| 50-99 | 9 |
| 100-199 | 6 |
| 200-499 | 3 |
| 500+ | 1 |
| NOC |
Median Wage Central Okanaga |
Median Wage British Columbia |
|---|---|---|
| 911 - Manufacturing Managers (Winery Manager) | $38.46/HR | $38.46/HR |
| 2225 - Landscape and Horticulture Technicians and Specialists | $23.75/HR | $23.75/HR |
| 8252 - Ag Service Contractors, Farm Supervisors, and pecialized Livestock Workers |
$15.00/HR |
$15.00/HR |
| 8431 - General Farm Worker |
$15.00/HR |
$15.00/HR |
| 8432 - Nursery and Greenhouse Workers | $13.73/HR | $12.50/HR |
| 8611 - Harvesting Labourers | $15.00/HR | $11.35/HR |
| 9461 - Wine Fermenter, Wine Pasteurizer, Winemaker, Winery Cellarman/Woman, Winery Press Operator | $15.65/HR | $15.65/HR |
Competitive Advantages
- Soil, topography and hot, sunny, dry climate provide an excellent agriculture environment
- Effective, innovative and sustainable sector wide pest management practices to prevent or minimize the impact of pests on crops including the Provincial Plant Health Strategy and programs like Sterile Insect Release Program
- Talent pipeline supported by responsive public post-secondary institutions and directed regional attraction and retention initiatives
- Proximity to Summerland Research and Development Centre, and local research support facilities at The University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus (UBCO) and Okanagan College (OC)
- Geographic proximity to key markets and reliable transportation routes (Port of Vancouver, YVR, YLW)
- The 2014 China Cherry Trade Agreement increased access to China, the number one cherry market in the world, resulting in an increase of tonnes of BC cherries shipped from 450 tonnes to over 4,000 tones annually - almost 80% of all cherries grown in the Okanagan.
