Tackling the Farm Crisis & the Climate Crisis (2019)

By publishing Tackling the Farm Crisis and the Climate Crisis, the NFU signals its commitment to participating in a meaningful conversation among farmers, scientists and policymakers that will evolve as our understanding and knowledge increases.

The farm crisis is real, as is the climate crisis.  Left unchecked, the climate crisis will dramatically deepen the income crisis on Canada’s farms as farmers struggle to deal with continued warming, more intense storms, and increasingly unpredictable weather.  It is clear that climate change represents a major challenge to agriculture, but it also represents an opportunity.

Farmers and policymakers are encouraged to recognize that we are facing an existential crisis, which means that all of our options must be on the table for consideration, even if they are uncomfortable to consider.  If we commit to an open and honest conversation about the causes and effects of climate change and how they are intertwined with our agricultural sector, we also take the first steps towards a transition that will benefit us all.

Tackling the Farm Crisis and the Climate Crisis does not claim to have all the answers.  Both the climate crisis and the farm crisis are so complex that no single report can provide all the answers.  However, this report does have many answers — some of which could be implemented right away. Others provide a starting point to opening up the climate conversation in the agricultural sector. Options that will work for different geographic locations, soil types, or types of farms will be explored, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution.