UBC Centre for Sustainable Food Systems is a living lab for climate-smart agriculture

Farming requires getting a few things right. It’s all about the right crop in the right soil, with the right amount of heat and water, at the right time. Tinker with any of these and the results could be disastrous. With climate change, farmers are being dealt a tough hand, throwing off systems they have relied on for ages. The warming of the planet has brought volatile events such as increased precipitation, dry spells, and changes in soil composition. Adapting to these new challenges is a huge concern of the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, a research hub based at the UBC Farm. Clare Cullen, who is the centre’s operations director, noted that farmers have always faced a certain level of uncertainty, depending on what nature throws at them. “But with climate change, it’s going to make things so much more extreme and unpredictable,” Cullen told the Georgia Straight in a phone interview. “In the Lower Mainland region, some of the big concerns are sea-level rise that could flood lands in areas such as Delta, Richmond, and South Surrey. Saltwater can get into the aquifers below the land, and so it can really alter the soil composition and soil […]

Click here to view original web page at UBC Centre for Sustainable Food Systems is a living lab for climate-smart agriculture