The 550-page Value Added and Agroforestry Resource Manual was recently released. Its descriptions of the opportunities in forestry and agroforestry are intended to spark interest in development of the natural resources of northeast Saskatchewan.
“If this manual entices a group of people to look at the opportunities in this area, then results in the employment of three or six people, it will have been worthwhile,” said Leroy Bader, extension agrologist with Saskatchewan Agriculture in Tisdale, and a member of the manual’s steering committee.
The manual is a compilation of, and further directions to, published materials on more than 50 development opportunities that vary from aquaculture and tourism to edibles, wood products, and medicinal and pharmaceutical herbs. Each of these opportunities is analyzed and assessed.
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“There is plenty of information out there, from product or grower associations to markets, regulations and how-to information, and this manual brings it all together. It also discusses business structures, and the resources and strategies for economic development,” said Bader. “But getting the information is just the first step. Development has to be a co-ordinated and sustainable practice. And much work must go into marketing.”
The Value Added and Agroforestry Resource Manual costs $65, which includes shipping and handling. Copies may be ordered through Rural Service Centres in the Parkland Region (Meadow Lake to Yorkton) or from the Etomami Valley REDA, Box 10, Kelvington, S0A 1W0.
The Value Added and Agroforestry Resource Manual was funded by the Etomami Valley Regional Economic Development Authority, Human Resources Development Canada and Saskfor MacMillan Ltd. Partnership.
For more information, contact: Leroy Bader, Tisdale at 306-878-8805.
