Course:CONS200/2025WT2/Socio-Ecological Impacts of Blueberry Farming in British Columbia

A picture of blueberries that were grown in Richmond, B.C.

Blueberry farming is one of the largest agricultural sectors in British Columbia. The role blueberries play in the province date back to before Westernization and colonization. They were of high importance, being used for medicinal, nutritional, and bartering purposes. Today, B.C. grown blueberries are a significant contributor to local and global economies. These berries are purchased locally, for example at farm stands and farmers markets, exported globally, and sold to corporations for frozen products. Farm labourers, employees who are harvesting the berries, are paid a piece rate instead of minimum wage. Piece rates have many socioeconomic effects, both positive and negative. Furthermore, sustainability is a rising issue in blueberry farming, but there are many ways to address these problems with new technology. To improve the socio-ecological impacts of blueberry farming in British Columbia, labourer's wages, ecological impacts, and sustainability must be addressed in this rapidly growing sector.

History

Blueberry farming in British Columbia parallels the history of the land’s agricultural development, environmental impacts, and economic shifts. The rapid expansion of large-scale blueberry farming guides the way rural communities obtain wealth and how the landscape of the area changes.

Before the Westernization of Vancouver, First Nations harvested wild berries, mostly native blueberries. These berries had multiple purposes, such as medicine, food, and even currency for trading, proving the lasting influence these berries still have. After this land was colonized, capitalist settlers replaced this way of life with a more efficient way of harvesting native crops: large-scale agriculture. These operations drastically changed the landscape of these areas, erasing the previous products of nature.

By the early 20th century, the Fraser Valley and all regions in its proximity became sought-after areas for commercial agriculture due to its extremely rich soil. This is a byproduct of ancient glacial activity flowing into this region, creating nutrient-rich, well-aerated soil. Initially, these settling farmers focused on growing crops like strawberries and raspberries, but as the end of the century approached, blueberries became extremely sought after. This is due to blueberries’ extreme hardiness, allowing them to withstand harsh climates, and their unique sweet and tarty flavor.

Socio-Economics

Background

Blueberry farming is an unregulated industry in British Columbia, meaning it is not governed by any rules or laws. Blueberry farming is a lucrative business, and in 2021 had the largest production of all fruit, second to apples, in British Columbia. The majority of farms are in the Lower Fraser Valley, such as Langley, Vancouver Island, and the Interior. These regions are home to rural communities, which leaves us to wonder what these communities benefit from extensive farming. However, examining berry farming shows that the socioeconomic benefit is greater for the employer than the employee, with the market being a large contributor toward the provincial economy . Most farm labourers are migrant workers and paid a piece rate, less than minimum wage, calculated by piece rate x volume or weight picked. This piece rate benefits the employer as it encourages a fast work pace. Secondly, in 2021, to earn the equivalent of hourly minimum wage in one day, the average farm labourer would need to pick 31 pounds of blueberries per hour. This presents an issue as not every employee has the same production capacity.

The Problem with Piece Rates

Piece rates are used as payment for harvesting jobs in the agricultural sector of British Columbia. These incentivize increased productivity in harvest workers, resulting in faster harvesting of crops. Growers believe piece rates incentivize employees to become harvest workers. A piece rate study conducted for British Columbia's Ministry of Labour interviewed growers and harvesters of different crops across the province. At first glance, it appears that harvesters prefer the piece rate as they believe they would make less money if paid a minimum wage due to the speed they are capable of picking at. However, harvest workers in the blueberry sector are paid the least of all berry sectors analyzed, despite blueberry farms covering the most acres of production. The minimum piece rate as of 2018 for blueberries was $0.438 The piece rate is is per pound of blueberries harvested, due to their small size, it is more time consuming to pick one pound of blueberries than it is to pick one pound of grapes or cherries. Piece rates are not only disadvantageous. If growers hire labour contractors, minimum piece rates rise. Another benefit is that labour contractors raise wage rates in times of high demand where large yields need to be harvested quickly.

Economic Cycles

The blueberry sector is victim to boom and bust cycles, meaning prices rapidly rise and suddenly fall. Changes in commodity prices also cause changes in piece rates. The higher the demand, the more labourers will be paid, and retail prices will increase. The opposite goes for when the blueberry industry is suffering from a bust. Blueberry plants take three years before they can be harvested after planting. This is an investment in itself in that it is a commitment to grow a blueberry crop. Furthermore, it can take a minimum of seven years for a blueberry bush to reach full production. Growers earn high return on investment during boom cycles but during a bust it can be difficult to break even at the most. Since blueberry farming is a long-term investment, most farmers are not dissuaded by these cycles. However, if there is a persistent pattern of busts causing prices of blueberries to continue to fall, the return on investment will be too low. Growers will not be able to make significant profits and staying in production is not worthwhile. In conclusion, the boom and bust cycles can severely affect the blueberry sector. If this industry is continuously affected by bust cycles, growers will leave production, considerably shrinking this industry and affecting the greater economy.

Sustainability in Blueberry Farming

Importance of Sustainable Farming

As blueberry farming persists in being a large factor of British Columbia's agriculture, there is a need for sustainable practices and technology while the practices become more industrialized. The pressing threat of climate change and the variations in weather present a need for the industry to adapt in order to protect their production. The changes from climate change present new challenges to farmers in maintaining biodiversity, response diversity, and making up for potential loss of fruit with industrialized practices that are less sustainable. All these new challenges present their own negative socio-economic outcomes. As British Columbian blueberry farms yield less fruit, whether it be from pests, droughts, chemical inputs, or any of the other reasons, the results manifest in food crises, lack of funding for wages and employees, and an inability to maintain costs of farming . Implementing proper sustainable farming techniques and practices is vital in ensuring the long-term success of blueberry farms in British Columbia and mitigating the socio-economic challenges present in the industry.

Sustainable Farming Techniques and Technology

While the industry for blueberry farmers is growing, the farmers continue to stray from the historical and sustainable harvesting and growing techniques of the British Colombian First Nations peoples. The techniques and technology used to grow these large commercial crops are damaging to the environment seen in the pollution from pesticides and herbicides, excessive water use, and emission heavy fruit exportations. The main efforts towards sustainability include organic farming, these growers show a movement back towards historical techniques but presents new challenges. Utilizing techniques such as integrated crop pollination, mulching, micro-irrigation systems, and pest control through soil quality and plant nutrition management allow for optimal plant growth while limiting damage to sustainability. The higher risks of crop loss, disease management and insect/mite management posed the largest barriers stopping farmers from transitioning to more sustainable practices. While spreading awareness and information about managing organic crops led to an increase in utilization of their techniques, the technology to apply these techniques in larger capacities is limited. To shift British Columbia's blueberry industry towards more sustainable practices, there is a pressing need for technology that allows for the sustainable techniques used by smaller growers to be adapted by the larger commercial growers.

Solutions

Socio-Economics

Present issues regarding wage suppression and worker exploitation in British Columbia blueberry farming can be combated through focused efforts on policy reforms prioritizing fair and equal compensation and labour protection by including them in all aspects of the Employment Standards Act. The

A blueberry stand in Richmond B.C.

current method of payment through a minimum piece rate does not adequately account for the current cost of living, inflation, and does not protect them from years where the fruit production is lowered. Through the elimination of the exclusion from the minimum hourly wage that workers are entitled to in the Employee Standards Act, the wage would better account for changes out of the workers control such as drought years, insect infestations, and

unfavourable work conditions.

If a farm wished to provide the same work and productivity incentives that are present in the minimum piece rate, a solution may be to pay the minimum provincial hourly wage while adding bonuses based off fruit harvested. This would allow for the same incentivization for the workers' best efforts while harvesting by hand but protecting those who face barriers, such as working in lower-yield areas. By ensuring fair wages and stronger protections, British Columbia can foster a more equitable and sustainable blueberry industry that values the contributions of its workers as much as its economic output.

Summary

Blueberry farming is such a vital part of British Columbia's agriculture and history and to ensure its continued success there is a need to combat the current ecological, sustainability, and socio-economic issues. We can combat the hazards brought forth by the land and water use that these farms take up through sustainable practices and techniques like organic farming, integrated pollination, micro-irrigation, and soil-based pest control. These practices are often costly and hard to finance which draws attention away from ensuring fair wages. The piece rates that are currently implemented do not provide an adequate salary for these farm workers, many of whom are migrant workers, and offers no protection from the conditions out of human control such as being stationed in an insect infested area of the crops. Moving forward there must be continued attention on preserving the sustainability of blueberry farming while fighting for fair labour practices; without a balanced approach there is no way to ensure long-term environmental health and social equity.

References

This conservation resource was created by Course:CONS200.