Climate Change: Overall Positive Impact On Canadian Agriculture
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The topic that will be discussed in this essay is whether climate change will have an overall positive impact on Canadian agriculture. The stance that will be taken is that climate change will not have an overall positive impact on Canadian agriculture. The significance of this issue is that the negative impacts on crop production, maintenance, and agriculture conditions will cause severe imparities on food supply and food security, causing devastating economic and ecological effects. The points that will be discussed in this essay are the impact of a highly variable climate on the prairies and the increase in the frequency of insect and disease infestation, a high-risk effect for crops. Moreover, the adverse effects of having farming adapt…show more content… The first issue that will be discoursed is how climate change is affecting agricultural land, specifically the prairies which constitute 80% of Canada’s agricultural land (Henderson & Sauchyn, 2008). Research shows that in the past millennium, climate changes have been particularly evident during the twentieth century and recent trends do not display a slowing of the gradually warming climate (Henderson & Sauchyn, 2008). The major climate concerns regarding crop production and survival in Prairie Provinces are the fluctuations in temperature and precipitation.The abundance and sustainability of the prairies are ultimately linked to the quantity and quality of available water supply. The warming of winters will cause snowfall accumulation, which will ultimately result in a decrease in annual stream flow(Henderson & Sauchyn, 2008). This shift in stream flow will produce an immense shortage of water supply during the summer seasons. The lack of water being delivered to the prairies is causing severedroughts which are most apparent in the regionsof Alberta and Saskatchewan (Government of Canada, 2004). Furthermore, scarcities in water have also ensued drier…show more content… As a result, this affects food supply causing economical struggles. Canadian agriculture consists of the production of goods such as crops and other produce to sustain a market. When climate change is constantly fluctuating and erratic, it is difficult for a farmer to be able to predict which crops in particular will not only be able to tolerate the current climate change but also be able to grow abundantly. As aforementioned, when a crop land is ruined due to climate change driven disturbances or when crops are infested by pests and infections, it is highly probable that the crops that are produced will be minimal, and of poor quality. Due to the fact that a large percentage of Canada’s economy and diet are fueled by agriculture, climate change is not only negatively effecting crop production but is also threatening the role that agriculture plays in our economy and lifestyle. Without a stable agricultural business, the nation’s food security and population sustainability are brought under severe questioning. Climate change has resulted in a general scarcity of many food sources that are grown as produce. If temperatures surpass a crops optimal level or if appropriate number of water and nutrients are not available, yields will be reduced and can even be reversed (Government of Canada, 2014). In extreme cases, the temperature and