Climate Change Adaptation Programming for BC Agriculture Partnering for Success a Resilient Agriculture Sector in a Changing Climate

Climate Change Adaptation Programming for BC Agriculture partnering for success A resilient agriculture sector in a changing climate

griculture is vulnerable to chan- Te BC Agriculture & Food Climate Action ges in climatic conditions and even small Initiative (CAI) is delivering industry-led climate A shifs can have signifcant consequences adaptation programs funded by the Governments for food production, the livelihoods of farmers, and of Canada and British Columbia through Growing the future of the agri-food sector in BC. Forward 2, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative. Tis programming is part of the BC Ministry of Changes in the climate are already underway and Agriculture’s on-going commitment to climate climate projections indicate that warmer and drier change adaptation in the agriculture sector. Te summers, weter winters, and increased variability CAI was set up in 2008 with the support of the BC and extreme conditions such as droughts, foods, Agriculture Council and the Investment Agriculture and wildfres, will all become more common. Tere Foundation of BC, to develop tools and resources to will also be the potential for longer growing seasons help make the BC agriculture sector more resilient and diferent crops. For the agriculture industry and successful in dealing with climate change. to manage the risks and take advantage of the opportunities, it must be able to adapt. Te CAI is guided by an industry advisory commitee, and works in close collaboration with local, provincial, and federal government partners. CAI’s work has atracted national atention for its collaborative approach to sector engagement, which Te Climate Action Initiative has become a model for other provinces as they is doing a great job of reaching develop their own adaptation programming for agriculture. Te following is a sample of the projects out to producers and supporting that the CAI has been involved with, and the work projects that are helping farmers that has been accomplished to further climate today as well as strengthening change adaptation in BC agriculture. our viability in the future.

Lydia Ryall, Cropthorne Farm

www.BCAgClimateAction.ca

2 Collaboration is the cornerstone of CAI’s adaptation programming.

Close to 100 diferent partners have collaborated to bring these adaptation projects to life across BC. Browse our full list of partners at www.BCAgClimateAction.ca/partners

Regional Farm Practices Adaptation Strategies & Climate Change Adaptation

the diversity of BC’s geography and its while the regional Adaptation Strategies agriculture sector means that the impacts associated address cross-commodity and broadly shared issues, with climate change vary across regions. Since 2013, the Farm Adaptation Innovator Program (FAIP) the CAI has led adaptation planning through the supports applied research projects that demonstrate development of Regional Adaptation Strategies and evaluate practices, approaches and technologies for six key agricultural areas of the province: Fraser for farm level adaptation. In addition to reducing Valley, Okanagan, Cariboo, Peace, Cowichan Valley, weather-related risks, the 15 projects funded through and Delta. Following plan completion, the program FAIP focus on knowledge sharing and building then provides up to ,300,000 to implement priority capacity in the agriculture community. Te degree projects identifed in each regional adaptation plan. of collaboration fostered by FAIP is refected in its 60 project partners, which include agricultural Collaboration is a key element to developing organizations, universities and research consultants, the Regional Adaptation Strategies and to their and over 80 individual producer co-operators. FAIP implementation on the ground. To date more than projects are focused on strengthening BC agriculture’s 400 participants have taken part in these planning resilience and ensuring that the sector remains vibrant, processes, including agricultural producers and productive, and competitive into the future. specialists, local government representatives, and staf from the Ministry of Agriculture and other Te CAI is supporting proactive eforts underway provincial agencies. Forty-one locally led projects across BC to address some of agriculture’s most sig- have turned the strategies into action, and more than nifcant climate change-related issues, including adapt- 50 agricultural organizations and local government ing water management and infrastructure, preparing partners across the province have been engaged in for extreme weather events, addressing emerging pest the process. issues, and managing for farm-level resilience.

2 BC Agriculture & Food Climate Action Initiative · 2017 · www.BCAgClimateAction.ca 3 Adapting to agriculture’s water future

aintaining and enhancing Along with various partners, the Cariboo agricultural water in the changing Catlemen’s Association initiated a project to M climate is a challenge shared by the assess the risk to surface water sources on grazing sector across the province. Warmer and drier ranges, and to identify options to improve summers are expected to create more pressure resilience. Using climate projections as a basis on water supply and infrastructure during the for its analysis, the resulting risk assessment growing season when agricultural operations tool takes an integrated approach to evaluating need water the most. Water sources, production water and forage resources. Tis tool can now needs, and suitable adaptations vary widely be applied to inform range management, and across BC. Te challenges around agricultural particularly water developments, to help ensure water supply and management demonstrate the that there is water available for livestock now and importance of regional-level adaptation. into the future. 0Project CB06 : see the table at the end of this document for a list of all projects.;

Agricultural Water Storage Troughout BC’s interior, agricultural dams store water for irrigation and livestock. With climate for many cattle operations in the province’s change, the role of these dams in ensuring interior, the water sources on Crown rangelands a sustainable water supply for agriculture is provide critical water for livestock (this water increasingly vital. Te Cariboo Catlemen’s is also important to range health and ecology). Association, CAI and BC government agencies However, with more intense hot and dry periods have partnered to assess the key issues and in summer and reduced snowpack, some of these solutions, and to deliver improved dam safety important water sources for livestock and wildlife guidance resources to dam owners. are at risk of drying up. 0projects CB02, CB05, CB08;

4 A lot of us rely on these dams for watering our catle and irrigation, and a lot of members of the public rely on the water sources they create for fshing and recreation.

Brian Tomas, rancher

Sustainable Irrigation & Water Management in many areas of the province, farmers In the Okanagan, the wine grape sector is taking depend on irrigation to grow their crops and leadership in strengthening water management irrigation requirements will increase with hoter, practices, both to adapt to changing conditions drier, and longer summers. In Delta, where and to improve grape quality. Te BC Wine producers rely on irrigation water from the lower Grape Council’s Sustainable Winegrowing BC Fraser River, reduced volumes of water fowing Initiative is leading a project to provide new downstream in late summer, combined with information resources for water management to rising sea levels, may result in salt water pushing the sector including fact sheets, feld days, and a further upstream, reducing the availability of new water use tracking tool. 0Project OK04; fresh water at irrigation intakes. Trough the Farm Adaptation Innovator To beter understand the potential impacts of Program, Enotecca Wineries are using technology these changes, the Delta Farmers’ Institute, in and careful management to reduce water use at partnership with the Corporation of Delta, two of their vineyard operations. Te project commissioned a modelling study that profles is evaluating precision irrigation techniques to the salt wedge in the Fraser River and how it tailor the delivery of water and nutrients for each is expected to shif with climate change. Tis type of soil and grape in the vineyard with the analysis has resulted in a multi-year monitoring goal of reducing water use, while also improving program on the lower Fraser River, to provide grape quality. 0Project FI16; improved real-time data and to beter understand shifs occurring in the river. 0Project DL10;

BC Agriculture & Food Climate Action Initiative · 2017 · www.BCAgClimateAction.ca 5 Preparing for extreme weather events

Proactive Planning for Wildﬁre Risk project also piloted a ranch-level preparedness planning template to walk ranchers through the ith the hotter and drier process of identifying where wildfre presents a summers, wildfres are expected risk to ranch assets, and planning for protection W to become more frequent and strategies like sprinkler protection units to help intense. In the Cowichan Valley, Cariboo, and reduce risk. Te work done in the Cariboo, Okanagan, pilot projects have been undertaken along with the emergency livestock protection to beter understand the nature of the risks planning tools piloted in the Cowichan, led to related to wildfre, and to develop agriculture- additional testing and refning of preparedness specifc resources for wildfre preparedness and mitigation resources in the Okanagan. and mitigation of potential impacts. In all three 0Projects CB01, CW10, OK05; regions, there has been a focus on individual farm or ranch planning and also on the specifc vulnerabilities and needs for agriculture to Reducing Vulnerabilities to mitigate the harm associated with wildfre events. Extreme Precipitation & Flooding

In the Cariboo, an evaluation was undertaken to according to climate projections, beter understand the shared issues and needs of seasonal precipitation paterns are shifing. In ranchers to address wildfre risks. Support with the Lower Mainland, rainfall is expected to fuel management and protecting assets were the increase in winter, and potentially spring and highest priorities for reducing wildfre impacts. fall, with extreme rainfall events becoming Led by the Cariboo Catlemen’s Association, the more common.

6 When I saw the work that the CAI was doing in the Cariboo, I asked them if that fre plan and some of the other projects they were doing would be applicable in the Okanagan. I see this project as being very valuable to the ranching community here.

Linda Allison, president of the Southern Interior Stockmen’s Association

Te potential for fooding associated with losses, improve resilience and/or speed recovery extreme precipitation events, spring freshet, for agriculture in the case of a spring freshet and/or coastal foods (resulting from the food. 0Projects FV02, DL03FDL07; combined impacts of sea level rise and storm surges) is likely the most signifcant threat One of the ways to help manage the impacts to agriculture in the Lower Mainland. Both associated with extreme precipitation, and localized and more extensive fooding have prevent the loss of workable days in the feld, the potential to increase with climate change, is to improve regional and on-farm drainage puting crop production and livestock at risk, and systems. Te Farm Adaptation Innovator potentially damaging agricultural infrastructure, Program is providing support for researchers at soil productivity, and supply lines. the University of British Columbia to evaluate practices for improving on-farm drainage Two fooding impact assessments have been management. In collaboration with the Delta completed, one for the Fraser delta area and one Farmers’ Institute, Delta Farmland & Wildlife for the Fraser Valley Regional District. Te two Trust, and local farmers, the project demonstrates studies evaluate the extent of the agricultural and evaluates on-farm strategies for addressing land base at risk of fooding and use scenarios to drainage and salinity problems. Te study evaluate the potential economic and production provides information to growers on drainage impacts of specifc fooding events. Te Fraser design criteria, as well as recommendations and Valley study : undertaken in partnership with cost-beneft estimates for diferent approaches. the Fraser Valley Regional District : also 0Project FI13; proposes actions that could reduce damage and

BC Agriculture & Food Climate Action Initiative · 2017 · www.BCAgClimateAction.ca 7 Addressing emerging pest challenges

Monitoring & Managing Changing Pest Populations

warmer climate doesn’t just create In the Fraser Valley, a comprehensive inventory : opportunities to extend the season or to including consultation with 30 agricultural commod- A grow new crops, it also opens the door to ity associations : was undertaken to support an more pressure from insect pests, pathogens, weeds, evaluation of shared pest issues and priorities. Te and invasive species. Existing pest populations are completed inventory documents current and recent likely to increase and new pests are likely to arrive. pest-related activities for crops and livestock, as well as needs, gaps, and priorities. A second phase of Addressing these challenges requires efective project activity is focused on engaging with industry monitoring and management tools. Across the on collaborative planning, and creating a fact sheet province, the CAI is supporting regional partners series for priority “emerging” pests in the region. with strengthening monitoring, as well as creating 0Projects FV04, FV05; new tools and information to assist producers with management decisions. Led by the Okanagan-Kootenay Sterile Insect Release Program, tree fruit organizations in the Okanagan are In the Peace region, the BC Grain Producers partnering to adapt a technology developed at Wash- Association, in partnership with local agricultural ington State University to help their industry make organizations, developed a two-year collaborative beter-informed decisions when managing orchard pilot project to address a signifcant gap in monitoring pests. Te Decision Aid System (DAS) is a web-based for insect pests, pathogens, and weeds identifed platform designed to transfer time-sensitive informa- as current or emerging threats. Monitoring was tion on pest management to orchardists, using real- undertaken at producer cooperator sites across the time, local weather data and pest and disease models. region and, during the production season, monitoring DAS assists producers to manage the variability updates and alerts were provided to producers, associated with climate change by predicting (based along with information about management options on real-time weather data) when a specifc pest or including crop rotation, bio-control agents and variety disease is likely to emerge, and providing growers with selection. 0Project PC03; a recommended treatment plan. 0Project OK01;

8 Managing for farm-level resilience

Managing for Increasing Variability in Climate & Weather

limate change will create a new set of A project led by the BC Forage Council puts the power management challenges for producers as they to identify and test suitable on-farm adaptations in C strive to adapt to increasing variability and the hands of producers. Te project developed an on- capitalize on emerging opportunities. Trough the farm research manual that walks producers through Farm Adaptation Innovator Program, CAI supports the fundamentals of seting up and implementing partnerships between researchers and producers to a research plot on their own farm through to col- develop tools and technologies that will strengthen lecting data, and evaluating results. Te manual was the ability of producers to anticipate climate change created by a research consultant with the help of four impacts, and to make informed decisions to help meet producer co-operators in the Central Interior who their goals. developed and evaluated independent research trials on their own farms. Te Guide to On-Farm Demon- Crop protection technologies provide one option for stration Research is available online and in hard copy. producers to minimize risk and extend their growing 0Project FI08; season but there is limited information available to help farmers identify the best product for their specifc situation. In partnership with producer co-operators in Delta and the Cariboo, University of Te [on-farm research] manual British Columbia researchers are leading a project to evaluate the efects of plastic mulches and tunnel is a new tool and it can be just as technologies on how products might impact soil important as your tractor, or feld, moisture and temperature, with a focus on increasing growing season length, conserving soil water and or equipment you use. It’s another achieving improve yields and quality. Te results are tool in the toolbox to get beter providing more specifc information to producers to assist with managing the variability and extremes results and help you stay afoat. anticipated with climate change. 0Project FI07; Wayne Ray, Smith Creek Farms

BC Agriculture & Food Climate Action Initiative · 2017 · www.BCAgClimateAction.ca 9 Projects drier conditions / drought excess moisture / ﬂooding other water management wildﬁre

2013–2017 pests other climate resilience

Impact Area ID Regional Projects Region

CB01 Wildﬁre Preparedness and Mitigation Planning and Resources Cariboo

Cooperative Maintenance and Enhancement of Agriculturally CB02 Cariboo Signiﬁcant Dams

CB05 Workshop: Maintaining and Enhancing Agricultural Dams Cariboo

CB06 Livestock Surface Water Assessment and Options Cariboo

CB07 Regional Agricultural Research Alliance Cariboo

CB08 Agricultural Dams Knowledge Transfer Resource Cariboo

CB09 Priority Pests: Scan, Consultation, and Action Plan Cariboo

CW01/ Integrated Farm Water Planning Pilot Cowichan CW06

CW03 Business Case for Regional Agriculture Extension Services Cowichan

CW04 Extreme Weather Events Preparedness Cowichan

CW05 Enhancing Local Processing and Storage Cowichan

CW07 Pilot Drought Alert System Cowichan

CW08 Water Storage Knowledge Transfer Resources Cowichan

CW10 Livestock Relocation and Management Plan Cowichan

Potential Economic and Agricultural Production Impacts of Climate DL01 Delta Change Related Flooding in the Fraser Delta

DL03/ Flooding Preparedness and Mitigation Pilot Project Delta DL07

DL05 Collaborative Climate Change and Agriculture Communications Strategy Delta

DL06 Forum: Agricultural Vulnerabilities to Coastal Flooding Delta

DL08 Agriculture and Climate Change Outreach and Education Pilot Project Delta

DL09 Delta Drainage and Sub-Irrigation Project Delta

DL10 Fraser River Modelling and Monitoring Delta

FV01 Enhanced Collaboration for Agricultural Drainage and Ditch Management Fraser Valley

Freshet Flooding and Fraser Valley Agriculture: FV02 Fraser Valley Evaluating Impacts and Options for Resilience

FV03 Agricultural Water Workshop Fraser Valley

FV04 Agricultural Pest Assessment (Activities, Gaps, and Priorities) Fraser Valley

FV05 Enhancing Information and Collaboration for Managing Emerging Pests Fraser Valley

FV06 Climate Adaptive Drainage Management Forum Fraser Valley

Impact Area ID Regional Projects Region

OK01 Decision Support Tool to Improve Local Tree Fruit Management Okanagan

OK02 Agriculture Sector Drought Outreach Program Okanagan

OK03 Integrated Farm Water Management Planning Pilot Project Okanagan

Vineyard Water Use Efﬁciency Knowledge and Technology OK04 Okanagan Transfer Project

OK05 Planning and Information Exchange for Wildﬁre Impact Reduction Okanagan

OK06 Invasive Species Digital Knowledge Transfer Okanagan

PC02 Increasing Availability of Agriculturally Relevant Weather Data Peace

PC03 Collaborative Monitoring Pilot Project in the BC Peace Peace

Feasibility Study: Deﬁning a New Approach to the Agricultural Land Use PC04 Peace Inventory in the BC Peace

PC05 Evaluation of Irrigation Potential in the BC Peace Region Peace

PC06 Peace Agriculture Weather Monitoring and Decision Support Tools Peace

PC07 Knowledge Transfer Tools: Irrigation Feasibility and Weather Monitoring Peace

Impact Area ID Farm Adaptation Innovator Projects Region

Using Management-Intensive Grazing for Adapting to and Mitigating FI01 Central Interior Climate Change

FI02 Vented Orchard Covers to Protect Cherries from Rain and Hail Okanagan

Demonstrating Innovative Forage Production Practices to Increase Climate FI03 Central Interior Change Adaptation

FI04 Evaluation of Thrips Damage to Potatoes in a Changing Climate Fraser Valley

Economic, Social and Environmental Beneﬁts of Riparian Rehabilitation as FI05 North Okanagan a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy Strategies to Improve Forage Yield and Quality While Adapting to FI06 Fraser Valley Climate Change Adapting BC Horticulture Through Protected-Crop Research and Lower Mainland FI07 Demonstration & Central Interior

FI08 Innovative Management Practices for Resiliency Peace

Keyline Water Management: Field Research and Education in the FI09 CRD Capital Region Climate Change Impact Risk Assessment Tool for Ponds used as Okanagan-Thompson, FI10 Livestock Water Sources Cariboo, Boundary & Kootenay Central Okanagan FI12 Expanding Cherry Production in BC Under Climate Change & North Okanagan Improving On-Farm Drainage Management to Reduce the Impacts of FI13 Fraser Valley & Delta Climate Change In Delta, BC

FI14 Adapting to Low Light Growing Conditions Using High Tunnel Structures Revelstoke

Climate Change Inﬂuence on Disease Control Patterns in the Okanagan FI15 Okanagan Tree Fruit Industry Optimization of Water Use In Vineyards in the Okanagan Using FI16 Okanagan Precision Irrigation Preparing for BC agriculture’s future

Sharing Knowledge & Building Capacity Te Future of Adaptation Programming

hrough growing forward 2, in climate change is a moving target, and we partnership with the BC Ministry of need to keep up. To prepare BC agriculture for T Agriculture and Agriculture and Agri-Food the risks of climate change, the sector’s adaptive Canada, the BC Agriculture & Food Climate Action capacity must continue to be strengthened over the Initiative has undertaken assessments and built longer term. knowledge of challenges facing the industry, as well as developed new tools and resources for producers Our existing programming provides a strong base to to adapt to anticipated changes. Te projects have build from, and we will continue to enhance climate brought partners together around complex issues adaptation programming under the Canadian to share knowledge, collaborate on solutions, Agricultural Partnership, a fve-year ,3 billion and strengthen relationships among producers, federal-provincial-territorial funding initiative that agricultural organizations, and government staf and runs from 2018 to 2023. agencies. Te partnerships, information, and tools resulting from adaptation projects are important to agriculture’s ability to meet current challenges and to successfully adapt for future conditions.