Farming in a Changing Climate
Farming in a Changing Climate
Agricultural Adaptation in Canada
Canadian farming has evolved under the influence of climate andweather – a process that continues with climate change. Infarming systems across the country, effective risk management isnecessary to deal with drought, flooding, and extreme weather, and toadapt to altered climate and weather conditions. Unfortunately, climatechange risks and opportunities are not always well understood amongresearchers and policy makers in the Canadian agri-food sector. Thisbook addresses that gap.
Farming in a Changing Climate provides a wide-rangingsynopsis of what climate change means for Canadian agriculture,explores different approaches to the topic, and presents examples ofcurrent research. It covers all agricultural regions and a wide varietyof commodity production and farming systems. Comments from agriculturalproducers and policy makers add a practical component to the book andemphasize the value of the applied research.
This comprehensive survey synthesizes twenty years of research onclimate change and Canadian agriculture. The book will be of interestto scholars in environmental studies, geography, and sociology; policyanalysts and policy makers; and representatives of the agri-foodindustry.
This timely collection will be of interest to scholars, policymakers, and agriculturalists throughout North America and beyond. It offers both a comprehensive collection of recent research on the vulnerability of Canadian farming systems to climate change and a thorough and articulate presentation of the breadth of concepts and methods currently employed in climate change vulnerability assessments.
Figures and Tables
Preface
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
Part 1: Research Approaches to Climate ChangeAdaptation
1 Introduction / Ellen Wall, Barry Smit, and Johanna Wandel
2 Impact-Based Approach / Michael Brklacich, Barry Smit, Ellen Wall,and Johanna Wandel
3 Context-Based Approach / Ellen Wall, Barry Smit, and JohannaWandel
4 Process-Based Approach / Johanna Wandel, Ellen Wall, and BarrySmit
Part 2: Impact-Based Studies
5 Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Agriculture in EasternCanada / Samuel Gameda, Andrew Bootsma, and Daniel McKenney
6 Climate Change Impacts on Agriculture in the Prairie Region /David Sauchyn
7 Agricultural Water Supply in the Okanagan Basin: Using ClimateChange Scenarios to Inform Dialogue and Planning Processes / DeniseNeilsen, Stewart Cohen, Scott Smith, Grace Frank, Walter Koch, YounesAlila, Wendy Merritt, Mark Barton, and Bill Taylor
Part 3: Context-Based Studies
8 Climate Change Adaptation in a Wider Context: ConceptualizingMultiple Risks in
Primary Agriculture / Ben Bradshaw
9 Biophysical and Socio-Economic Stressors for Agriculture in theCanadian Prairies / Henry David Venema
10 Institutional Capacity for Agriculture in the South SaskatchewanRiver Basin / Harry P. Diaz and David A. Gauthier
11 The Perception of Risk to Agriculture and Climatic Variability inQuébec: Implications for Farmer Adaptation to Climatic Variability andChange / Christopher Bryant, Bhawan Singh, and Pierre André
Part 4: Process-Based Studies
12 Comparing Apples and Grapes: Farm-Level Vulnerability to ClimateVariability and
Change / Suzanne Belliveau, Ben Bradshaw, and Barry Smit
13 Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Risks in SouthwesternOntario Farming Systems / Susanna Reid, Suzanne Belliveau, Barry Smit,and Wayne Caldwell
14 Community-Based Watershed Management as an AgriculturalAdaptation to Climatic
Extremes in the Canadian Prairies / R. Cynthia Neudoerffer and DavidWaltner-Toews
15 Household Access to Capital and Its Influence on Climate-RelatedRural Population
Change: Lessons from the Dust Bowl Years / Robert A. McLeman
Part 5: Conclusions
16 Policy Implications: Panellists’ Comments / Ellen Wall,Barry Smit, and Johanna Wandel
17 Climate Change Adaptation Research and Policy for CanadianAgriculture /
Ellen Wall and Barry Smit
References
Contributors
Index
