more,” she added.


Adaptation to B.C. needs will occur over the winter and next summer it will be beta tested by a group of growers and industry specialists who will make sure the Canadian version is accurate and working well, explains Tesche. All going well, it should be generally available to all growers by 2018. She explains that currently growers who follow dates on a calendar or past practices to make the decision on when to spray for a particular pest or disease could be wasting time and money, by spraying at the wrong time for the best effect.


Very early spring weather in the past two years caught many growers off- guard in terms of timing applications, especially those without the benefit of field service advisors, but in future they could rely on this tool instead of a calendar.


An increase in hotter and drier summers, insect and disease pressures, and extreme weather events are some of the impacts of climate change that are expected to affect agriculture in the Okanagan.


Projects such as this should strengthen the resilience of the Okanagan agriculture sector in a changing climate.


“Agricultural producers in the Okanagan need to be aware of the potential impacts of climate change and start planning for the future,” says Erin Carlson, who represents the B.C. Cherry Association on the Climate Adaptation Advisory Committee.


This grant is part of a total investment of $300,000 in B.C. from the federal and provincial governments through Growing Forward 2, a federal- provincial-territorial initiative. Climate models show a strong warming trend for the Okanagan, particularly in the summer. Precipitation is expected to decrease in summer and increase in winter, with a marked decrease in the amount falling as snow.


Extreme weather events are also expected to become more frequent and more severe. Changes to temperature and precipitation patterns will impact river systems, resulting in less predictability and increased variability in the timing and volume of water flows. Warmer temperatures and higher rates of evapo-transpiration will increase demand for irrigation and put pressure on water storage.


16 British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Fall 2016


“For growers, these changes could have a significant


impact on crop yields and


Meslissa Tesche


quality, as well as increasing the cost of securing the water needed for production,” says Carlson. “We need to


be prepared to manage the risks of shifting weather patterns and extreme weather events, as they have the potential to be devastating for the fruit crops that our region is known for.” The Okanagan Regional Adaptation Strategies report identifies four priority


impact areas: warmer and drier summers; changes to pest


populations—from insects and diseases to weeds and invasive species; increased extreme episodes of precipitation and increasing wildfire risk.


The B.C. Agriculture and Food Climate Action Initiative was established by the BC Agriculture Council in 2008, and is led by an advisory committee of agricultural producers, food processors and representatives from various government agencies.


The initiative has been supported by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC with funding provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture through Growing Forward 2, a federal-provincial-territorial program.


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