The Rural Voice, 2000-06, Page 16How will your farm cope with
a changing climate?
Less rain in summer, less snow in winter, more precipitation in spring and fall, it
means farmers are going to have to adapt their farming practices to remain viable
By Rod MacRae
Global warming is a
reality. The vast
majority of
scientists believe it is
happening and that human
activities are a primary
cause. In fact, food
production and
distribution are two of the
most significant
contributing factors. And
now, this reality is coming
back to haunt farmers.
Climate change will be so
significant that all farmers
need to re -assess their
farming system.
What 'is global
warming doing to the
weather? Here's what's
predicted for the Lake
Huron region according to
the Lake Huron Centre for
Coastal Conservation, in
conjunction with
Environment Canada's
Climate Change
Adaptation and Impacts
Research Group.
Global warming is
altering weather patterns
in different ways all over
the globe. In the Lake
Huron region, the
following changes are
projected:
•Average temperatures to
increase by 3 - 6 degrees
Celsius
•Seasonally, ,
temperatures are
projected to increase the
most during winter to the
point where the average
winter temperature
would be above 0
degrees Celsius
•Annual precipitation is
projected to decrease by
12 THE RURAL VOICE
From too little water
(top) to too much
(bottom) climate
change means
extremes in the
weather. As people
like Jack
MacPherson (right)
hydrologist with the
Maitland Valley
Conservation
Authority. track
changes in weather
they predict farmers
will have to change
their practices.
four per cent on average
•Precipitation levels may
increase in the spring and
fall by as much as 30 per
cent and summer and
winter levels could
decrease by as much as
30%
•Less wintertime
precipitation may fall as
snow and more as rain.
Less snow usually means
less water storage. This
will likely reduce stream
flow in the summer and
fall and produce higher
flows in the spring and
winter.
Jack MacPherson,
hydrologist for MVCA
has been reviewing the
conservation authority's
weather data for the last
40 years. MacPherson has
identified the following
trends which foreshadow
the changes we are likely
to see:
•a change in precipitation
patterns to more isolated,
short duration, high
intensity rainfall events
(more scattered thunder
storms).
•more rainfall events of
only 25mm of rain at a
time or less.
•annual precipitation for
the watershed was up by
an average of 27 mm per
year from 1951 to 1990.
•more of this extra
rainfall is getting to the
rivers and streams as
there is a steady increase
in water flowing down
local rivers on an annual
basis.
hat does this
mean for
farming?
According to Environment
Canada, potential impacts
on local agriculture
farmers are likely to
experience include:
•drier summers and falls
— in effect, more
distinct wet and dry