2024 Speakers

In the Canadian Prairies, a warming climate is advantageous for agriculture, but taking advantage of a longer, warmer growing season will require adaptation to offset the amplified climatic variability that is expected as the climate warms. Projections from climate models, and reconstructions of past climate from tree rings, suggest that we can expect years that are wetter and drier than in those of the past few decades. Various options and farming practices exist to sustain production under extreme soil moisture conditions, including drainage and irrigation and relying on crop insurance and other forms of financial assistance. Another approach to counteracting the impacts of excess water and agricultural drought is maintaining soil health. This presentation gives some climate change projections for western Canada, and suggests that healthy soil is an effective response to climate change by storing water and carbon, and improving the infiltration of excess water.