OBSERVATIONS FROM FARMING & CLIMATE CHANGE
UN REPORT ON CLIMATE CHANGE: WHAT DOES IT MEAN IN VERMONT? By Joshua Faulkner & Suzy Hodgson
The end of March brought us the long-anticipated Fifth Assessment Report from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This report, developed by a group of 837 researchers from around the world who assess and summarize the scientific literature on climate change, appeared to have more of a food and agriculture focus than previous reports. In general, findings were troubling if not unexpected. For example, the authors concluded that climate change will potentially affect all aspects of food security, including food access, utilization, and stable prices. Such effects were expounded upon, with considerable emphasis placed upon declining crop yields matched with increased global demand. Amid these discouraging findings, the pressing need and challenge of adaptation kept surfacing. In particular, one conclusion in the food chapter presented itself as a glimmer of hope: “A range of potential adap-
tation options exist across all food system activities, not just in food production…More observational evidence is needed on the effectiveness of adaptations at all levels of the food system.” Here at the Center, we are bolstered by this, as such calls-to-action align with our mission and ongoing work with local farms and communities. We continue to strive to find sustainable solutions that ex-
plicitly recognize the need to adapt Vermont’s food system to our own climate change challenges. A few of the projects at the Center that work to address climate resilience and adaptation:
Expanding on-farm water management education and research focused on appropriate technology, including efficient micro-irrigation and responsible drainage practices.
From the Fifth Assessment Report from the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: “Impacts from recent climate-related extremes, such as heat waves, droughts, floods, cyclones, and wildfires, reveal significant vulnerability and exposure of some ecosystems and many human systems to current climate variability.” Global temperature increases of ~4°C or more above late-20th-century levels, combined with increasing food demand, would pose large risks to food security globally and regionally.” “Climate change has negatively affected wheat and maize yields for many regions and in the global aggregate.”
Investigating and re-conceptualizing farm ponds as ‘resilience centers’ by diversifying their utilization for drought and flood mitigation, providing ecosystem services, and food production.
Collaborating with UVM’s Agroecology and Rural Livelihoods Group on the Vermont Farm Resilience in a Changing Climate Initiative, which is a participatory action research project involving farmers and service providers to develop long-term strategies to help Vermont farmers and communities adapt to climate change.
Examining the use of ‘multi-functional buffers’ to increase a farm’s resilience to flooding, reduce erosion, and enhance habitat and ecological function, all while providing an economic return (e.g., woody perennial crops such as berries or biomass).
CULTIVATING CONNECTIONS /VOLUME XX / NUMBER 1 / SPRING 2014 P.9