VICTORIA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA — The British Columbia agriculture sector plans to have new resources available to support efforts to adapt to climate change following the announcement that the Climate Change Adaptation Program (CCAP) will provide C$6 million in federal and provincial government support over the next five years through the Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

As part of the Regional Adaptation Program portion of the Canadian Agricultural Partnership the CCAP investment will be used to establish three regional adaptation strategies and provide support for the implementation of projects in new and existing regions.

As part of the Farm Adaptation Innovator Program, the funds will be used for seven to nine new research projects on British Columbia farms and to pilot and demonstrate farm practices and technologies that support climate adaptation.

  The Canadian Agricultural Partnership is a federal-provincial-territorial agreement that includes C$2 billion in cost-shared strategic initiatives delivered by the provinces and territories, and C$1 billion for federal programs and services through March 2023.

“Farmers are stewards of the land and they need to have the right tools to support making good decisions,” said Federal Minister of Agriculture Laurence MacAulay. “The Government of Canada is proud to support the development of new strategies and tools that will help farmers in British Columbia adapt to climate change, while producing healthy food in a sustainable way.”

British Columbia Minister of Agriculture Lana Popham added, “The B.C. government is committed to helping farmers in British Columbia adapt to climate change through sustainable operations while expanding production. The Climate Change Adaptation Program will directly support our farmers in regions throughout B.C. so they can reach new levels of success over the next five years.”

The CCAP is administered by the B.C. Agricultural Research and Development Corporation and the BC Investment Agriculture Foundation and delivered by the BC Agriculture & Food Climate Action Initiative.