BC Agriculture & Food Climate Action Initiative

With the increasing weather variability and extremes associated with climate change, the complexity in farm management and decision-making will also grow.  With the challenges associated with climate change, the lack of available agricultural extension services was identified as a significant gap in adaptive capacity in the Cowichan region (particularly for new producers and those transitioning their business or production models).

In order to address this gap, this project explored and evaluated different local agricultural extension models that have the potential to be sustainable (particularly with respect to financial resourcing).  The project also provided a scan of agricultural extension models used around the world and identified some innovative options for funding and supporting extension services.

Project Results

• Cowichan – Options for Agriculture Extension (2015 report) (4 MB pdf)

In addition to shifts in temperature and precipitation, climate change projections include increasing magnitude, frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Agricultural operations in the Cowichan region face greater risks associated with periods of extreme heat, extended dry periods, wildfires and extreme precipitation events.

This project included the piloting of extreme event preparedness and mitigation planning with farms located in proximity to one another. Planning was focused on identifying risks and actions that could reduce (mitigate) the potential damages associated with extreme events. This included individual producer actions, along with collaborative approaches. Agriculture-specific informational materials were developed to support the pilot planning process, undertaken through 2 workshops held in South Cowichan, drawing producers from various parts of the Cowichan region. The project was undertaken in partnership with the Cowichan Valley Regional District (CVRD) Public Safety Division.

Project Results

• Cowichan – Extreme Events Preparedness & Mitigation (2015 report) (569 KB pdf)
• Cowichan – Extreme Events Risk (2015 maps) (7 MB pdf)

Access to processing and storage of agricultural products helps to ensure that agricultural producers have flexibility with respect to when and how they bring their products to market. This flexibility is particularly important in a changing climate as the timing of production and the quality of products will become more unpredictable and variable. Local food processing and storage infrastructure increases the capacity for agriculture to manage through variability while retaining profitability.

Incorporating climate change considerations, this study provides an inventory of existing food processing and storage infrastructure and assets in the Cowichan region, as well as identifying needs, gaps and areas with potential for future growth. The most promising options have been further evaluated and developed to provide strategic direction to enhance agricultural processing and storage in the region. This study also fulfills gaps identified in the Cowichan Region Area Agricultural Plan and was conducted in partnership with Economic Development Cowichan, with funding support from the Islands Coastal Economic Trust.

Project Results

• Cowichan – Enhancing Food Processing (2014 report) (7 MB pdf)

Climate change will affect all aspects of water management for agricultural operations. An integrated and comprehensive approach to water management (from supply, to irrigation, to drainage) at the farm level is a positive step in supporting producers to manage the associated challenges.

Through this project, a holistic farm water planning process was developed and tested. During Phase 1 (completed April 2014) a farm water planning toolkit was developed. In Phase 2 the toolkit was piloted with 8–10 agricultural operations across the Cowichan region.

A range of farm types and locations were selected so that the pilot incorporated a cross-section of water sources and management issues. The pilot helped to refine and evaluate the planning approach and to identify common challenges or issues of exceptional concern.  By identifying more complex water issues and opportunities (that require cooperation between multiple partners) the pilot project was also intended to form the foundation for future collaborative water pilot projects in the Cowichan Valley. Options for broadening the use of the planning toolkit and process are currently being explored.

Project Results

• Cowichan – Integrated Farm Water Planning Pilot (2014 summary) (5 MB pdf)
• Cowichan – Integrated Farm Water Planning Pilot (2015 report) (1 MB pdf)
• Cowichan – Integrated Farm Water Planning Pilot (2015 toolkit) (2 MB pdf)

Download and read the project summary as a PDF: Drought Alert Project Keeps Producers 'In the Know'.

The recently completed Extreme Weather Events Preparedness and Mitigation Pilot Project brought Cowichan producers together to discuss preparedness for extreme events. Through this dialogue, it became clear that there was a gap between producers’ awareness of water issues on their farm, and their level of awareness about the status of water at the regional level. Although the provincial government issues drought alerts and updates, this information is not reaching all producers through existing communication mechanisms.

The Cowichan Drought Alert System pilot project implemented a series of low cost mechanisms for communicating drought status to producers and evaluated which approaches are the most effective. During the 2015 and 2016 production seasons, this project piloted 4–5 different communication mechanisms including: text and phone alerts, signage, a postcard mail out, an electronic newsletter, and website updates. The most effective options will be integrated into the on-going activities of the CVRD Public Safety Division and shared with other interested communities.

Project Results

• Cowichan – Drought Communications Plan (2017 report) (841 KB pdf)
• Cowichan – Drought Alert Pilot Brochure (2016) (612 KB pdf)
• Cowichan – Drought Alert Pilot Postcards (2016) (449 KB pdf)

During the Cowichan Extreme Events and Preparedness project, Cowichan producers identified effective drainage systems and on-farm water storage as important elements of adaptation – in some cases essential for mitigating the impacts of extreme events (i.e. flooding and extended dry periods). Since installation of appropriate water infrastructure can be a challenge for individual producers, knowledge transfer – including demonstration and improving available informational resources – was seen as a necessary support.

To begin to address this knowledge gap, the Agricultural Water Storage and Management Knowledge Transfer project shared information with producers in the Cowichan Valley and surrounding areas related to water storage development (and the associated requirements and regulations), as well as broader water management techniques, through a farm tour and 2 panel sessions at the Islands Agriculture Show in 2016.  The first tour/panel was focused on “Developing Water Storage on Your Farm” and featured visits to 4 local farms that featured different types of production systems utilizing differing water sources, water storage and water delivery systems.  The second panel was focused on “Drought and Water Supply: Water Management on Your Farm”. The panels included subject matter experts from the BC Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations, agricultural producers and speakers from other organizations. The project also developed a video on water storage and management derived in part from the tour and panel sessions.  Please see the video, access the presentations delivered at the workshop, and read the project summary below.

Project Results

• Cowichan – Water Storage & Management Knowledge Transfer (2016 project summary) (5 MB pdf)
• Cowichan – set of 8 presentations (35 MB zip)

Download and read the project summary as a PDF: Planning for Livestock Safety During Extreme Events.

The Cowichan Extreme Weather Events Preparedness & Mitigation Pilot Project brought Cowichan producers together to discuss preparedness for extreme events. An issue that was of particular interest to many producers in attendance was how to manage livestock in the case of an extreme event, such as a wildfire.

The Cowichan has several types of livestock operations including dairy and mixed livestock. With the diversity of livestock operations in the region, no single approach to extreme events will be suitable. Dairy animals can’t be relocated to a central location as they require on-going milking. Other types of livestock may benefit from regionally designated sites for relocation and still others may require plans for how to manage animals on-site.

This project developed relocation/management plans (including separate considerations for dairy operations) at the regional scale and also developed and tested a template for livestock relocation and management planning at the farm scale, for use where a site-level approach is more suitable. Relocation plans consider coordination of transportation and feed requirements and integrate provincial level initiatives where possible. A summary version of the relocation plans and the transferable planning template was disseminated via agriculture sector organizations, and a workshop was coordinated to share templates developed and to raise awareness of regional relocation plans/initiatives.

A subsequent project in the Okanagan integrated the strongest elements of the Cowichan emergency planning template with new modules and content to create a comprehensive farm-level Wildfire Preparedness and Mitigation Planning Workbook and Guide for use by all types of agricultural operations (i.e., not specific to livestock). This workbook and guide can be used by all producers (large and small) and consists of a series of modules focusing on planning/activities to undertake before a wildfire, during a wildfire and after a wildfire and includes new sections such as evacuation of visitors and staff, insurance and on-farm water sources. Cowichan producers are encouraged to use the provincial template, available at the Okanagan Planning & Information Exchange for Wildfire Impact Reduction project page, and may wish to reference the original Cowichan Livestock Relocation & Management Plan project for Cowichan-specific contact information and resources.

Project Results

• Cowichan – On-Farm Emergency Plan (2017 guide to the template) (595 KB pdf)
• Cowichan – On-Farm Emergency Plan (2017 template) (261 KB pdf)

A Regional Livestock Relocation and Management project for the Cowichan Valley Regional District was completed in winter 2017. The project developed three tools for the CVRD and producers located in the region, including a farm-level emergency plan Template to be completed by agricultural producers, an accompanying Guide to the Template, and an Emergency Operations Centre-based agricultural emergency plan for use by the CVRD emergency office.

Since that time, the CAI has completed a wildfire project in the Okanagan that builds on both the farm-level emergency planning tool developed for the Cowichan and previously developed wildfire planning and mitigation resources for the Cariboo region. In addition, many lessons on communications and coordination within the agriculture sector were learned by emergency management staff and by producers during the wildfire season in the Cariboo and Okanagan-Thompson regions over summer 2017.

This project transferred key lessons learned and tools evolved from the preceeding projects and events to the Cowichan (and broader Vancouver Island) agriculture sector through a field day and panel session at the 2018 Islands Agriculture Show in Duncan, BC. The project raised awareness and uptake of the Farm-Level Emergency Plan Template; shared information and lessons learned from the Cariboo and Okanagan-Thompson wildfire response experience; facilitated dialogue among Cowichan and other Vancouver Island agencies engaged in wildfire response and with producers; identified and documented collaborative next steps in wildfire/ extreme event preparedness for the Cowichan region; and developed a knowledge transfer approach that could be applied in other areas of the province.

Project Results

• Cowichan – Planning & Preparedness for Wildfire Events: Field Day & Knowledge Transfer (2018 summary) (370 KB pdf)