Transcript AGRICULURE AND AGRI-FOOD CANADA-PFRA

AGRICULTURE AND
AGRI-FOOD CANADA
PRESENTATION TO :
The Standing Senate Committee on
Agriculture and Forestry
February 24, 2003 - Regina
THERE IS A HISTORY OF
ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE
VARIABILITY ON THE PRAIRIES…..
• Since the late 1800’s climate variability has necessitated
government action to help agriculture adapt to the
semi-arid climate – Dominion Experimental Farms
established, and evolved into AAFC Research Stations.
• Drought has been a reoccurring problem, and in 1935,
AAFC established the PFRA to assist in the
“rehabilitation of the drought and soil drifting areas …
and to develop and promote systems of farm practice, tree
culture, water supply, land utilization and land settlement
that will afford greater economic security”
EXTENT OF 2002 DROUGHT IN THE
PRAIRIE REGION OF CANADA
SIMULATIONS INDICATE THAT
CLIMATE CHANGE WOULD
SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACT THE
PRAIRIES……
• Temperatures higher / Growing season longer
• Precipitation would increase and be more variable
• Evaporation would increase (offsetting
precipitation)
• Weather/Climate would be increasingly uncertain
• Droughts would be more frequent and longer
• Opportunities to grow new crops / develop new
areas for agriculture
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
PRESENTED BY CLIMATE CHANGE
ARE A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY …
• All levels of Government
– AAFC recognizes an important role here
• Private sector industry
NEW APF PROGRAMMING BUILDS ON
AAFC EXPERIENCE ON THE
PRAIRIES TO STRENGTHEN SUPPORT
FOR ADAPTATION NATIONALLY
THROUGH…
• New initiatives and transitions aimed at
specific outcomes:
– On-Farm Action
– Knowledge and Information
AAFC INITIATIVES WILL
STRENGTHEN SUPPORT FOR
ADAPTATION NATIONALLY
THROUGH…
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Water Programming
Shelterbelt Center Programs
Rangeland Development and Management
Greencover Program
Environmental Farm Planning and BMPs
National Land and Water Information System
(NLWIS) and Agroclimate Information
AAFC WATER PROGRAMS SUPPORT
ADAPTATION IN MANY WAYS …
• Strategic studies to determine secure water
supplies for agricultural areas
• Proposals for individual and large scale projects
• Irrigation efficiency research and demonstrations
• Rural Water Development Program ($5.5M/yr.)
– eg. Rural Water Pipelines
– Transition to a national program underway
within APF
AAFC NATIONAL WATER SUPPLY
EXPANSION PROGRAM (NWSEP)
SUPPORTS ADAPTATION …
• Main Components of New APF Program
– Infrastructure Development
– Strategic Water Planning to support the growth
of the agriculture sector
• Climate Variability/Change a Key Consideration:
– Eg. Climate change scenario development for
Prairie water supplies with support from the
Climate Change Action Fund
AAFC SHELTERBELT CENTRE
SUPPORTS ADAPTATION …
• Multiple objective programming that includes
climate change adaptation
• Shelterbelt planting attempts to modify local
climate
• 5.5 million tree seedlings, adapted to Prairie
climate, are distributed annually
• New APF initiatives for shelterbelts across Canada
AAFC RANGE DEVELOPMENT AND
MANAGEMENT SUPPORTS
ADAPTATION …
• 1930’s - Prairie cropland and rangeland which was
unable to cope with drought was converted
(adapted) into managed community pastures
• 1980’s - Permanent Cover Program and Green
Plan programs helped with adaptation and
enhanced environmental management
• 1990’s - ongoing applied research, field
demonstrations, and awareness activities
• 2000’s - APF Greencover Programming
AAFC GREENCOVER PROGRAM
SUPPORTS ADAPTATION …
• Conversion of environmentally sensitive land to
perennial cover
• National focus for shelterbelt planting
• Technical assistance for enhanced rangeland
management and riparian areas
Greencover will contribute to the Environment
Priority of APF with up to 1.6 million ha of land in
Canada benefiting from improved management
AAFC’S ENVIRONMENTAL WORK
LINKED THRU NEW INITIATIVES
UNDER THE APF…
• Building on past work to formalize and
implement Beneficial Management
Practices
• Development and implementation of
Environmental Farm Plans (EFP’s)
These initiatives will consider the need to adapt to
climate change
AAFC’S ENVIRONMENTAL WORK
LINKED THRU NEW INITIATIVES
UNDER THE APF (con’t)…..
• National Agriculture Water Strategy to provide a
strategic context for programming
– address quantity / quality issues in a changing
climate
– in preliminary stages of development
• Operationalizing NLWIS, including agroclimate
activities, as an important aspect of AAFC’s role
in support of adaptation
AAFC PRAIRIE AGROCLIMATE UNIT
EXPANDS UNDER APF TO SUPPORT
ADAPTATION NATIONALLY…
• Enhanced (interpreted) climate information is an
essential element of adaptation
• Climate monitoring / reporting
– (eg. drought or excess moisture)
• Practical climate change scenario development
related to agricultural activities
• Early warning of seasonal climate risks and
opportunities, specific to agriculture
AAFC AGROCLIMATE ACTIVTIES
SUPPORT ADAPTATION (con’t) …
• Desertification is a climate change concern - under
the authority of the United Nations Convention to
Combat Desertification (UNCCD), Canada plays a
key role globally as both a donor country and an
affected country
Climate change crosses political
boundaries – need to integrate efforts of
Canada/U.S./Mexico
With the APF, AAFC will be well positioned to
help the agriculture sector adapt to increasing
uncertainty in our weather and climate.
Thank you for this opportunity to offer a
presentation to your Committee