Regional Climate and Production Systems
Historical climate and production capacity
This region consists of the Peace River Regional District, which, at 119,000 square kilometers, is the largest regional district in BC. It also has the largest agricultural area in the province, with almost 800,000 hectares of farmland in 2016. Most of the agricultural land is located in the relatively flat northeastern part of the region. The Peace has long, cold winters and short, warm summers. Average annual precipitation is moderate, between 350-500 millimeters. As one of Canada’s northernmost agricultural areas, the region benefits from long daylight hours in the summer. These conditions support early-maturing or short-season crops that can perform well at lower temperatures and take advantage of the daylight hours.
Approximately 60% of the Agricultural Land Reserve area in the region has soils of Class 3 or 4. Many of the soils in the region are prone to erosion, and some are acidic. High rates of evapotranspiration often create dry soils in late summer, particularly in lowland areas. Moisture availability is the major limiting factor for most agricultural land in the region. In 2017, over 1.2 million hectares in the region were included in the Agricultural Land Reserve.
Agricultural production
In 2016, the Peace region had 1,311 farms – 8% of the farms in BC. Key agricultural commodities in the Peace include grains, oilseeds, forage seed, and cattle and forage. Many producers are involved in some combination of these commodities. Agriculture in the Peace region is unique within BC. The average farm size is over 600 hectares, compared to the BC average of 147 hectares. This region produces almost 75% of BC’s grain and 98% of its canola. Crop production in the region is almost totally dryland (non-irrigated). A large amount of oil and gas development has happened on, or near, agricultural land in the region. The oil and gas sectors have been part of the Peace region’s economy since the 1960s.
Top Issues & Projects
Projections provided by the Pacific Climate Impacts Consortium were shared during the regional planning process where producers discussed how the anticipated changes would likely affect their operations. Then they identified four climate issues as their top concerns. Many of these projects are a direct response to the adaptation strategies and top issues outlined in the Peace Adaptation Strategies plan. The projects are developed by CCAP with oversight and input from a regional working group. Other projects deliver applied research that supports climate change adaptation at the farm level. These 2-4 year projects fall under the Farm Adaptation Innovator Program.
Learn more about climate change adaptation in each region:
Regional Projects
