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Adaptation in Canadian Agriculture to Climatic Variability and Change

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Abstract

The effects of climatic variability and change on Canadian agriculture have become an important research field since the early 1980s. In this paper, we seek to synthesize this research, focusing on agricultural adaptation, a purposeful proactive or reactive response to changes associated with climate, and influenced by many factors. A distinctive feature of methods used in research on adaptation in Canadian agriculture is the focus on the important role of human agency. Many individual farmers perceive they are well adapted to climate, because of their extensive 'technological' tool-kit, giving them confidence in dealing with climatic change. In many regions, little concern is expressed over climatic change, except where there are particular types of climatic vulnerability. Farmers respond to biophysical factors, including climate, as they interact with a complex of human factors. Several of these, notably institutional and political ones, have tended to diminish the farm-level risks stemming from climatic variability and change, but may well increase the long term vulnerability of Canadian agriculture. Notwithstanding the technological and management adaptation measures available to producers, Canadian agriculture remains vulnerable to climatic variability and to climate change.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Université de Montréal, C.P. 6128, succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada

    Christopher R. Bryant & Bhawan Singh

  2. University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada

    Barry Smit & John Smithers

  3. Carleton University, 1125, Colonel By-Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada

    Michael Brklacich

  4. University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive, Lethbridge, AB T1K 3M4, Canada

    Thomas R. Johnston

  5. (Institute for Environmental Studies), University of Toronto, 33 Willcocks, Suite 1016, Toronto, ON M5S 3E8, Canada

    Quentin Chjotti

Authors
  1. Christopher R. Bryant
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  2. Barry Smit
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  3. Michael Brklacich
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  4. Thomas R. Johnston
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  5. John Smithers
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  6. Quentin Chjotti
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  7. Bhawan Singh
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Bryant, C.R., Smit, B., Brklacich, M. et al. Adaptation in Canadian Agriculture to Climatic Variability and Change. Climatic Change 45, 181–201 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005653320241

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005653320241

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