Impact of climate change on agricultural production and food security of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) has a food security issue due to lack of suitable agricultural land, short growing seasons, and unsustainable agricultural policies promoting conventional industrial farming practices, with a limited range of agricultural produce (milk, eggs and poultry) and no facilit...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Memorial University of Newfoundland
2019
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| Online Access: | https://research.library.mun.ca/14276/ https://research.library.mun.ca/14276/1/thesis.pdf |
| Summary: | Newfoundland and Labrador (NL) has a food security issue due to lack of suitable agricultural land, short growing seasons, and unsustainable agricultural policies promoting conventional industrial farming practices, with a limited range of agricultural produce (milk, eggs and poultry) and no facilities for secondary processing of these. The food security issue has been exacerbated in the last decades by climate change events (extreme temperatures, heavy rains and more frequent droughts) which have negatively impacted the province’s agricultural industry. The conventional industrial agricultural practices and the profit focus of maximization agricultural policies have contributed to and have intensified several environmental, social and economic problems. They have as well provided an inadequate guarantee for food security, as the NL agriculture industry does not secure enough healthy, fresh, nutritious, and affordable food alternatives for people to live and be healthy. This research is based on quantitative and qualitative data, collected through surveying both crop and dairy farmers located in western, central and eastern regions of the Newfoundland and Labrador province, and through a literature review of peer-reviewed articles, published government reports and documents and news articles. The research results show that any attempt to solve the multi-faceted problems of the NL agriculture impacted by climate change increases the significance of pursuing an agro-ecological approach to farming in the province. Integrated and small, highly diversified farms are one sustainable alternative to modern industrial farming, as they can make the current agricultural practices more resilient to global climate change (GCC), can enhance food security in the province, as well as reduce the impact of agricultural practices on GCC. This study has found that 100 percent of the crop and dairy farms production has been affected by two or more natural hazards, such as long winters/short growing seasons, late spring frost and ... |
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