The Practice of Agrology

The defining characteristic that separates any professional governed under the PGA (and other professional governance legislation within the province of BC) is their special knowledge and experience in its application that comprise their expertise to ensure that the advice and services they provide are protective of the public interest. This knowledge can only be gained through an academic program at an accredited university in Canada or equivalent education or training institute. Professional experience and expertise are gained in the specific application of these knowledge areas to the perspectives of the practice of agrology, such as through an articling period supervised and guided by a suitable mentor.

It should be noted that, at times, knowledge areas may be shared by other professionals. The application of that knowledge may be applied to very dierent purposes. For example, both agrologists and engineers may share knowledge in soil physics, but the application of that knowledge by an agrologist is for a purpose within the practice of agrology, such as ensuring the availability of moisture for plant growth, whereas the engineer may be using the same or very similar knowledge to assess potential soil cohesion for structural purposes. As such, knowledge

areas are NOT reserved practice areas but instead refer to foundational knowledge that may be common to more than one profession.

There are two definitions in the AgrologistsRegulationenacted in 2021 pursuant to the PGA (the “Regulation”), which together define the parameters of the reserved practice of the profession. The first is the definition of regulatedpractice, which is colloquially referred to by many as the “definition of agrology. ” That definition provides as follows:

"practice of agrology, " subject to subsection (2), means the provision of any of the following advice or services:

1. (a) advice or services that

(i) are based on agricultural or natural sciences or agricultural or resource economics, and

(ii) relate to