Canadian Prairie Agriculture Under Climate Change: How can we chart a resilient path?

The impacts of a warming climate are already being felt on the Canadian Prairies amid extreme weather events ranging from floods to droughts to wildfires. The past summer was particularly hard on many agricultural producers. On Thursday, December 2, 2021, IISD and ClimateWest held a webinar featuring Prairie-based producers and experts to hear about what these climate challenges mean for agriculture, with an open Q&A and discussion about the road ahead.

This webinar followed the release of a new IISD report, Farming the Future: Agriculture and Climate Change on the Canadian Prairies, which provides an extensive overview and analysis of:

• The climate risks that Prairie producers face
• How on-the-farm practices can help producers build resilience, improve their bottom line, and reduce environmental impacts
• The critical role of federal and provincial policy in supporting producers, their livelihoods, and their competitiveness for international markets. 

The webinar provided an overview of this latest research, along with panellists' perspectives. It also examined the current policy state-of-play and considered lessons learned for the future. IISD’s new report is the first of a two-part series, and this webinar helped lay the groundwork for the upcoming second report about policy solutions.

Speakers included:

• Ian McCreary, Grain and livestock farmer, McCreary Land & Livestock Ltd. (Saskatchewan)
• Duncan Morrison, Executive Director, Manitoba Forage & Grasslands Association
• Debra Davidson, Professor of Environmental Sociology, University of Alberta
• Lara Ellis, Senior Vice-President, Policy and Partnerships, ALUS

Moderation and opening and closing remarks were provided by:

• Jane Hilderman, Executive Director, ClimateWest
• Vanessa Corkal, IISD Policy Advisor
• Aaron Cosbey, IISD Senior Associate

Watch the webinar video below: