Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives

Creating Opportunities Consultations

Adding Value in Rural and Northern Manitoba

 

Natural Resources

OPPORTUNITIES

The consultations revealed that sustainable development of natural resources such as forestry, minerals, non-timber forest products, wild fisheries and water resources is a priority for rural and northern Manitobans.

The Manitoba forest industry has more than 250 firms that ship wood products valued at $615 million and directly employ more than 7,000 people. The Manitoba Agro Woodlot Program helps producers integrate agro-forestry practices into their farming operations. Many commercial opportunities for non-timber forest products have been identified and more are being developed.

Manitoba is home to a strong commercial fishery that harvests a limited number of species, most of which are semi-processed. The opportunity to capture value from unused or underused fish species was of special interest. There could be other uses for fish, such as specialty canning, products from fish remains (ex: fish skin leather), fertilizer, fish oil for nutraceuticals, pet food, etc.

Water resource and drainage issues are a priority for rural residents, particularly in the southern agricultural area of the province. The consistency of supply for agricultural commodities in wet and dry conditions is essential for farm profitability and value-added businesses. Many people are concerned about water issues and the challenge is to address them in a way that stimulates economic development. Two examples of this are:

• Development of engineered wetlands for sewage treatment.
• Use of native grasses in drainage infrastructure.

CHALLENGES

• Financial – The development of resources in remote areas can be hindered by costs associated with extending infrastructure and recruiting, transporting and supplying employees.
• Human Resources – There is a need for local educational and training facilities, especially for technical skills.
• Community Capacity – There is a desire for more involvement by communities in local resource development decisions. In communities that rely strongly on a single resource or industry, residents worry that a single factor such as declining market prices for a resource, or a company closing its local operations could devastate the community.
• Infrastructure – Lack of transportation infrastructure can discourage development of some natural resources, by hindering access to the area or transportation of the harvested resource.
• Regulations – Regulations on environmental protection are sometimes too sweeping, and do not make sufficient allowances for local or regional variations.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Governments, communities and industry should facilitate sustainable development of natural resources by:

• Creating opportunities to expand timber harvesting by promoting woodlots on private land, development of co-operative processing initiatives and facilitating access to timber quotas by small forestry companies.
• Supporting continued development for non-timber forest products.
• Exploring processing opportunities for underused fresh water fish species.
• Encouraging sustainable water management strategies to:
  • Facilitate more profitable agricultural production.
  • Ensure the availability of water for both value-added production and community use.
  • Support benefits such as the creation of recreation and tourism assets.

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