Grant: Collaborative Research and Training Experience

Climate change is already having an impact on agriculture and food security due to increased prevalence of extreme events and increased unpredictability of weather patterns. This is especially true for Canadian farmers who have seen large increases in heat and droughts coming to many agricultural regions, including the Maritimes, the Prairies, and southern Ontario. Future climate projections show that Canadians will likely see drier summers from coast to coast but increased winter and spring precipitation. While some aspects of climate change look promising (e.g., longer frost-free seasons), the unexpected increase in climate variability and more frequent extreme events would adversely affect agricultural industry. Meanwhile, agriculture is a significant contributor to global warming and about 10% of Canada's GHG emissions are from crop and livestock production. Enhancing food security while reducing agricultural GHG emissions and preserving the natural resource base and vital ecosystem services require a significant transition to more productive, sustainable, and resilient agricultural production systems. Such a transition demands a major shift in the way that our land, water, and soil nutrients are managed to ensure that these resources are used more efficiently. Making this shift requires considerable changes in the traditional farming technologies and practices, which heavily relies on new graduates, researchers, and professionals who possess appropriate knowledge and expertise in climate smart agriculture. The proposed CLISA network aims to address the need for highly qualified personnel (HQP) by advancing cutting-edge research and development in climate change, precision agriculture, water and soil management, sustainable food production and food value chains, and climate-smart financing and policies. The trained HQPs will help promote the development and application of new technologies and strategies in Canadian farming practices and enrich Canada's agricultural workforce.