Overview

The Provincial Planning Statement (PPS), 2024 and the Greenbelt Plan, 2017 require prime agricultural areas, including specialty crop areas, to be designated and protected in municipal official plans based on provincial guidance or informed by mapping from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness (OMAFA).

While the Greenbelt Plan identifies the boundaries of the specialty crop areas, it relies on official plans to further delineate prime agricultural areas and rural lands based on provincial mapping and guidance.

Characteristics of specialty crop areas

Specialty crop areas are a distinct subset of prime agricultural areas. Due to the finite nature of specialty crop areas, provincial policy prioritizes these areas for protection because they:

  • are scarce and unique, and if lost, they cannot be replicated
  • are economically important, supporting jobs and economic diversification
  • include some of Ontario’s highest earning agricultural lands
  • support many value-added activities and agri-tourism opportunities

The following crops are predominantly grown in specialty crop areas:

  • tender fruits (for example, peaches, cherries and plums)
  • grapes
  • other fruit crops (for example, apples, pears and berries)
  • vegetable crops
  • greenhouse crops
  • crops from agriculturally developed organic soil (for example, carrots and onions)

The commercial production of these crops relies on a combination of factors, including:

  • suitable soil and/or special climatic conditions
  • farmers skilled in growing these crops
  • capital investments into areas such as:
    • perennial rootstock
    • workers’ accommodations
    • storage, processing and distribution facilities
    • drainage or irrigation infrastructure
    • equipment

Specialty crop areas in provincial plans

The Greenbelt Plan identifies the Holland Marsh and the Niagara Peninsula Tender Fruit and Grape Area as provincially designated specialty crop areas.

Other specialty crop areas

In addition to specialty crop areas identified in provincial land use plans, municipalities are required to identify and designate specialty crop areas, where appropriate, based on municipal criteria and with support from OMAFA rural planners.

Several historic provincial sources also recognize additional important fruit and vegetable production areas such as the Food Land Guidelines (1978), Fruit Production in Ontario (OMAFRA, 1981; updated 2004), and Physiography of Southern Ontario (Chapman and Putnam, 1984).

Grey County and Lambton County have identified specialty crop areas through the designation of an apple-growing area and the Thedford Marsh area, respectively.

Permitted uses in speciality crop areas

A wide range of agricultural economic opportunities are permitted in specialty crop areas, including:

  • agricultural uses such as growing of crops or raising of livestock
  • farm-related commercial or industrial uses that support and serve nearby farm operations
  • limited, secondary uses such as home-based businesses, agri-tourism and value-added agricultural production

These uses must be compatible with surrounding agricultural operations.

Non-agricultural uses are generally discouraged and only permitted in limited circumstances under provincial policy. For more information on permitted uses in prime agricultural areas, refer to Publication 851: Guidelines on Permitted Uses in Ontario's Prime Agricultural Areas.