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Greetings from C-CIARN Agriculture The effects of the past summer season continue to be felt in the Canadian agri-food sector as yields for many crops remain poor. The outlook for the coming year is coloured by news from Environment Canada about El Nino: “The latest El Nino is expected to bring a milder winter to most parts of southern Canada and possibly drier conditions to the prairies. Environment Canada climatologists have confirmed that an El Nino is now underway and Canada should begin to experience its influence by December…Past El Ninos have typically brought milder winters to most of Southern Canada and dryer conditions to the prairies. Environment Canada expects this El Nino will not have the impact of the last great El Nino, which severely impacted Canada in the winter of 1997-98, contributing to the devastating ice storm of January, 1998 in southern Quebec and eastern Ontario. It also aggravated the existing dry conditions on the prairies and contributed to raging grassfires in Alberta. Even a moderate El Nino will likely bring a milder winter to Canada. This could mean less snow and an increase in insect pests and diseases that are normally kept in check by lengthy cold spells.” Countering these predictions is news reported in the Christian Science Monitor describing the possibility of a “Little Ice Age” similar to one that developed in Europe 500 years ago. According to oceanographers studying the Gulf Stream, there are indications that its function as the “North Atlantic circulation pump” is threatened by fresh water dilution. Consequences include a potential drop of 5 degrees F. over much of the United States and a drop over 10 degrees F in the northeastern United States and Europe. Uncertainty over future climate conditions adds to the challenges facing the agri-food sector in its attempts to develop and implement sound adaptation strategies. Several members of C-CIARN Agriculture want to be proactive and emphasize successes in adapting to climate conditions. Plans for a C-CIARN Agriculture meeting in winter 2003 are following this advice. We intend to showcase “success stories” as a new focus for engaging researchers and policy makers in pursuing climate change adaptation topics. Please let us know what you think of the general theme: Meeting the Challenges of Climate Change: Success Stories from the Agri-Food Sector so we can move ahead with our plans. Any examples you can send our way would be appreciated. Among other activities, C-CIARN Agriculture has undertaken two more proactive initiatives this fall. One is a submission to the Agriculture Policy Framework recommending a number of items to include. We also encourage you to make a submission regarding climate change adaptation in the agri-food sector. Another C-CIARN Agriculture request will go to Statistics Canada for the 2006 Census of Agriculture. During October, “stakeholder” meetings have been held to get comments and recommendations regarding the next set of census questions. It could be very useful to have basic data on climate change adaptation from across Canada’s farming population. You can also contact Statistics Canada with your input. The person who can help with submission forms and questions is Jennie Wang, Census of Agriculture, Agriculture Division Statistics Canada Jennie.Wang@statcan.ca OR Agriifo@statcan.ca Fax 613 951 1680 If you have not done so already, please visit the national web site for C-CIARN and fill in a membership form so that we have more information about your interests in the network. We also have a listserv for those who want more frequent updates and information and want to communicate directly with others on climate change adaptation issues as they pertain to the agri-food sector. All for now, Ellen Wall Co-ordinator, C-CIARN-Agriculture Blackwood Hall (Room 202) University of Guelph Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 Phone: 519 824 4120 ext 8480 Fax: 519 763 4686 http://www.c-ciarn.uoguelph.ca |
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