New climate change plan launched for P.E.I. farmers

P.E.I farmers have a new five-year plan for adapting to climate change that encourages collaboration and sharing of ideas. 

The plan, launched by the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture, aims to reduce green house gas emissions to net zero by 2040 and make farms more resilient to the impacts of changing weather patterns.

"Farmers, they're constantly adapting. It's nothing new. It's just there's new challenges being faced," said Meagan Moynagh, climate action specialist with the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture.

"Whether they believe in climate change or not, they know from Fiona and other weather events that there is this need to change their responses, and they're really open to trying new things if it's economically, socially and environmentally sustainable," Moynagh said. 

The new plan was developed to address the specific needs of the agriculture industry when it comes to challenges associated with climate change, such as higher temperatures, flooding, drought and unpredictability of rain events, she said. 

'A shared challenge'

One element of the five-year plan is producer clubs, which foster connections between farmers so they can share resources, knowledge and opportunities, Moynagh said. 

"I think it's easier to tackle climate change when it's a shared challenge and you're not really doing it alone," she said.

"Having a shared approach and having people you can kind of lean on and share those challenges with and help solve them is a little bit less daunting and it just helps build the industry up as a whole so no one's left behind," Moynagh said. 

While the plan is focused on the next five years, if it goes well then there will be even more options and approaches to try moving forward, said Stephanie Arnold, who works for CLIMAtlantic. 

"Hearing them talk about what could be possible was really exciting," said Arnold.

The plan relates not just to climate risks, but also business risks and the challenges faced by rural communities, Arnold said.

"I think that it's going to have a really broad effect beyond farming and production of food." 

Other provinces and industries have already reached out to say they're interested in what is happening with P.E.I. agriculture is doing, said Arnold. 

Planting the seeds

The project is starting with a series of key actions, including improving soil health. 

That's an important step for Ben Versteeg, a dairy farmer in Oyster Bed Bridge at Red Oak Farms.

"Having good soil health can help us mitigate climate change by absorbing more carbon, but having healthy soil helps in terms of drought or excess precipitation, too," said Versteeg. 

At the end of the five year plan, Versteeg said he hopes to see "a more resilient and a more sustainable agriculture industry" — both environmentally and economically.  

The P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture said it plans to track progress over the next five years. There will also be future plans looking toward the 2040 net zero target.