Climate change experts warn our weather is going to become more unpredictable and volatile. This could seriously challenge Manitoba’s weather dependent agriculture industry.
Manitoba will face earlier and more severe changes to our climate than many other parts of the world. Climate change predictions suggest we will see warmer and wetter winters and longer, warmer and drier summers. Precipitation is likely to vary more from year to year. Extreme weather, such as heat waves, droughts, floods, and more intense storms, will become more common.
How will agricultural producers prepare for, cope with, and recover from extreme weather events? Are programs and funding available to help farmers to prepare for the negative impacts of climate change?
“Yes, there are,” said Megan Porath, GROW trust associate with Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corporation. “The Growing Outcomes in Watersheds (GROW program) is part of Manitoba’s Climate and Green Plan. The Province of Manitoba endowed $202 million in Trust funds with the Winnipeg Foundation that annually generates more than $10 million dollars for program delivery. Manitoba’s Watershed Districts deliver GROW programs across the province.”
GROW program funding supports on-farm sustainable land use practices that provide ecological goods and services that help store carbon and reduce climate change impacts like flooding and drought. Programs and funding are offered that encourage water storage and infiltration, improved soil health, improved water quality, and sustaining biodiversity in natural areas.
“We have a local GROW committee that works with farmers in our watershed to develop projects that work for their operations,” said Rodney White, manager of the Whitemud Watershed District. “Many of these projects provide ecological services that benefit the entire watershed.”
“Our GROW programming is designed to keep natural areas intact that are at risk of being converted to cultivated cropland,” said Stephanie Kryschuk, GROW program coordinator for the Whitemud Watershed. Climate change risks to farmers and watersheds can be lowered by protecting or restoring natural areas. Forests, grasslands, wetlands, pasturelands and riparian areas have tremendous capacity to moderate the impacts of storms.
“Our GROW programs pay incentives to conserve (not drain) temporary wetlands on cultivated cropland and to keep forested areas on the landscape,” said Kryschuk. “Our programming also includes funding to restore grasslands, plant cover crops and forages to protect soils, restore wetlands for water storage, and plant trees. GROW programming with producers is voluntary.”
Fourteen watershed districts across Manitoba are in partnership with the GROW Trust Program. They all offer programs and funding to support sustainable agricultural practices that will help farms to reduce risks from extreme weather in the future.
Contact your local watershed district for information.
