Photo by Government of BC
Researchers and Farmers Team Up
Over the next four years, farmers and researchers across the province will be working together to demonstrate and evaluate technologies and practices that increase the resilience of British Columbia’s farms and ranches as producers adapt to a changing climate.
Thanks to funding through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, delivered through the Farm Adaptation Innovator Program (FAIP), 10 new applied research projects will explore solutions to climate change-related challenges facing agricultural commodities across B.C.
Two projects, one led by the BC Forage Council and one led by the Peace River Forage Association of British Columbia, will investigate how innovations in forage management practices can improve soil health and boost yields while enhancing resilience to drought conditions and extreme rainfall. The projects will also evaluate how these practices impact the capacity of the soil to contribute to the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
The University of British Columbia is leading a project where on-farm trials will be used to implement, monitor and model soil and water management practices. The project will evaluate which practices are best to ensure soils are more resilient to the extreme rainfall and drought conditions expected with a changing climate.
Changing climate conditions are also resulting in shifting pest populations, and E.S. Cropconsult is leading two projects focusing on pest management.