Lower Mainland – Southwest

Lower Mainland – Southwest

British Columbia’s farming cornucopia

The Lower Mainland-Southwest region is nestled between the mountains, the coast, and the Fraser River. In the rich and fertile Fraser Valley, family farms and amazing roadside stands sell fresh, mouth-watering produce — showing off the region’s bounty.

The climate, featuring the fewest frost days and highest rainfall of all the regions, is perfectly suited for vegetables and berries. And, while technically BC’s smallest region, it more than makes up for its size with over 5,200 farms producing over 65% of the province’s agricultural output*. The city of Pemberton is also within this region and is considered the seed potato capital of Canada!

This region produces the majority of BC’s dairy products, berries, vegetables, poultry, eggs, pork, mushrooms, floriculture, and nursery products. Lower Mainland-Southwest also features the lion’s share of greenhouses in the province. Growing mainly tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers, greenhouses take up just .01% of BC’s farm land but are responsible for 11% of BC’s total agricultural production**.

*Source: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/farming-natural-resources-and-industry/agriculture-and-seafood/statistics/census/census-2016/aginbrief_2016_all_province_region_regional_districts.pdf
**Source: https://www.weheartlocalbc.ca/fresh-facts-everything-you-need-to-know-about-locally-grown-greenhouse-veggies/