2003/04 – 2005/06 SERVICE PLAN Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries

Summary of Related Planning Processes

Human Resource Management Plan

The ministry has implemented a process to develop a comprehensive human resource management plan to address the long-term staffing and skills needs to deliver the new mandate. This plan is well underway. It encompasses the following broad strategies:

Effective People Strategy

• Developing effective recruitment and retention strategies that bring the right skills and abilities to enable the ministry to deliver on its service plan objectives

Proactive and Visionary Leadership

• Developing leaders in the workforce that will continue to expand on the vision for the public service of the future

Performance Focused Workplace

• Establishing and implementing performance-based systems that ensure the ministry is achieving its service plan objectives in the most efficient and effective manner.

Flexible and Motivating Work Environment

• Examining all options for flexible work environments to ensure maximum physical and emotional well being.
• Providing opportunities for staff advancement and career development.

Learning and Innovative Organization

• Implementing a training and development plan for employees to maintain and improve their expertise.

Progressive Employee-Employer Relations

• Ensuring ongoing regular communications between executive, managers and staff to maximize feedback and make improvements to program delivery for all stakeholders.

This plan will be carried out over 5 years.

Information Resource Management Plan

Strategic Direction

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Fisheries has adopted the following strategies:

• Web-enabled service delivery where feasible to meet the public’s interest to access more information electronically while allowing staff to respond to relevant client inquiries.
• Manage within a more limited budget with creative approaches in office computer systems.
• Use common information technology, infrastructure and management concepts to ensure stable, secure, and functional computer systems.

Major Projects

• Electronic Agricultural Business Centre: Reductions in ministry staff sizes and changes to the ministry mandate, have made one-on-one interactions between the farmer and commodity specialist no longer feasible. Technology is being used to make this knowledge available to British Columbia’s farmers and industry partners. The project will provide kiosk-type public terminals in agriculture offices throughout the province to enable access to InfoBasket (the ministry’s web-based technical information source), ministry publications, and information pertaining specifically to the target region.
• Further expansion of InfoBasket: The ministry’s award winning portal, InfoBasket will continue to be expanded with the addition of more business focus areas addressing specific commodity groups. The site has now sheep and lambs, specialty crops, bison, agroforestry, micro food processors, as well as organics and ornamentals.
• Replacement of aging computerized licencing systems: The ministry will continue on the projects to replace its aging commercial fisheries licensing system and the aquaculture licensing system. During fiscal 2002-2003, the requirements phase will be undertaken with design and build phases occurring in 2003-2004. The intent is to use the ministry’s common licencing system to the extent possible for all licences issued by the ministry.
• Crop Insurance: The ministry provides many agriculture producers with insurance to help them manage crop losses from severe weather conditions. The ministry uses computerized database systems to prepare and manage insurance policies and claims. The existing policy and claims management system is being replaced with a web-enabled system that will improve internal efficiency and position the ministry to be better able to deal with any sales privatization or electronic service delivery initiatives.