Briefing Paper: Climate Change Adaptation and Canada's Crops and Food Supply
This briefing paper outlines the current and anticipated impacts of projected climate changes of climate change on Canadian agriculture and food security; the inter-relationship between food, water, energy and biodiversity; and proposals for adaptation measures that can capitalize on opportunities and reduce or avoid the impacts of a changing climate.
The current weaknesses in governance of food and crop security – lack of integration of policies across water, energy, land use and agriculture; reduced water security; and weak monitoring systems – will increase exposure to the growing threats of a changing climate, which will also drive global food availability and price crises. For example, the United States and the European Union are reforming their policies and programs to address these challenges. Although these initiatives have yet to be fully implemented, they provide the basis for forward-looking climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction decisions in the coming years.
This briefing paper includes five key messages and eigh recommendations for more sustainable crops and food supply under a changing climate, and is based on ACT's Background Report: Climate Change Adaptation and Canada's Crops and Food Supply. It is now time that Canada prepared its food system for what lies ahead.
