Climate Change Adaptation in Light of Sustainable Agriculture

Agricultural activity has always included adaptation to a number of diverse stresses and opportunities–elements that continue influencing developments in the agri-food sector. Climate and weather conditions are a good example of factors that require on-going adaptation. With climate change they take on even more significance. Based on data from Canadian producers, this article identifies several climate and weather risk adaptation strategies currently in use and notes their close links to sustainable agriculture practices. The article concludes that the mutually supportive relationship between sustainable agriculture and climate change adaptation could be used to justify more government support for sustainable agriculture policies and programs. [Article copies available for a fee from The Haworth Document Delivery Service: 1-800-HAWORTH. E-mail address: Website:  2005 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.] Ellen Wall is Research Scientist with the faculty of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph. She coordinates C-CIARN Agriculture (Canadian Climate Impacts and Adaptation Research Network for Agriculture) and conducts research on sustainable rural community issues. Barry Smit is Professor of Geography and Canada Research Chair in Global Environmental Change at the University of Guelph. Address correspondence to: Ellen Wall, Blackwood Hall (Room 202), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1 (E-mail: [email protected]) or (http:// www.c-ciarn.uoguelph.ca). The authors gratefully acknowledge assistance from Dr. Ellen Klupfel (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food). Also appreciated are resources available through C-CIARN Agriculture (Canadian Climate Impacts and Adaptation Research Network for Agriculture) and research support from Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Climate Change Action Fund (Government of Canada). Journal of Sustainable Agriculture, Vol. 27(1) 2005 Available online at http://www.haworthpress.com/web/JSA  2005 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1300/J064v27n01_07 113