Source URL: rmalberta.com/news/aamdc-guide-for-declaring-municipal-agricultural-disasters-available-online/

AAMDC Guide for Declaring Municipal Agricultural Disasters Available Online

Agriculture producers in some parts of Alberta continue to struggle due to crops that were unable to be harvested in fall and with the current moisture conditions. AAMDC is reminding members that the AAMDC’s Guide for Declaring Municipal Agricultural Disasters in Alberta  is a useful tool for monitoring crop conditions and identifying resources to support the decision-making process when considering whether to declare an agricultural disaster at the municipal level.

The Guide, developed in collaboration with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC), is intended to promote a consistent mechanism for data collection and monitoring to support municipal decision-making and to guide the communication process when considering agricultural disaster declarations. With information provided in the draft guide, municipalities can bring awareness to a situation as it is developing and ensure all levels of government and local residents are aware of the situation, without immediately declaring it as a “disaster.”

The Guide includes the following components:

  • A condition statement tool
  • Technical information that can be used to support data
  • What a Government of Alberta declaration means
  • An overview of municipal communication process in the event a disaster is declared
  • Municipal agriculture disaster declaration template

The AAMDC recognizes that improvements to this document and tools included could be made. AAMDC members are encouraged to utilize this guide and provide any input regarding its use or content improvements to AAMDC Policy Analyst Tasha Blumenthal at tasha@aamdc.com.

As identified in the Guide, municipalities who declare states of municipal agriculture disaster are requested to notify the AAMDC for information purposes.

Enquiries may be directed to:

Tasha Blumenthal
Policy Analyst
780.955.4094

Kim Heyman
Director, Advocacy & Communications
780.955.4079