Plan

Okanagan, British Columbia: Regional Adaptation Strategy

Summary

In the coming years, climate change will impact the agriculture sector in British Columbia in a range of different ways. Although agricultural producers are accustomed to adjusting their practices to manage through difficult conditions, the scope and scale of climate change is anticipated to exceed anything previously experienced. Strategies and actions that will enhance agriculture’s ability to adapt to climate change are the focus of this plan.

Year
2024

Details

Hazards Addressed
Changing Seasons
Drought
Extreme Heat
Flooding – Rainfall-induced
Wildfire
Assets
Agriculture and Food Supply
Forestry
Water Infrastructure – General
View the Plan

Lessons Learned

While all of the actions contained in this plan are important for the Okanagan sector to adapt to climate change, the actions on the following pages are identified as “next steps.” This is due to their importance and may also reflect their relative ease of implementation, or their potential to build capacity for further adaptation actions. Building momentum and capacity for collective action, and addressing the most important issues, will help to ensure implementation of all of the identified actions.

Options Used

Consult with the agricultural sector to determine cross-sector objectives for drought planning. Share information about the current and projected state of the water supply. Develop ideas to increase resilience Work with the water utility to keep and update data on source-specific water supplies. Establish and implement sector-appropriate outreach mechanisms when water levels get low. Identify processes (e.g., policy, programmatic and financial tools) to support runoff and erosion management in riparian areas.

Steps to Resilience

Get Started
Understand Exposure
Assess Vulnerability & Risk
Investigate Options
Prioritize & Plan
Take Action

Plans

Okanagan, British Columbia: Regional Adaptation Strategy

Organizations to Contact

British Columbia Agriculture & Food Climate Action Initiative

Relevant Options

Encourage farmers to work with agriculture experts to identify and test more drought- and pest-resistant crop options for local food production. Create conditions to make growing more affordable. Revise land use plans to accommodate changes in types of agricultural activities and to allow for shifts in agriculturally viable areas. For example, include accessory uses such as agritourism and direct

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