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Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


'Food shock' seen as result of climate change

Friday, April 8, 2016

Rather than postulating that climate change will turn the Canadian Prairies into a new northern corn belt, scientists are growing concerned about a phenomenon they call "food shock," the increasing likelihood that climate-induced economic shocks will greatly affect the global food system, especially if they hit different breadbaskets at the same time.

On the website of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, prior to its annual convention in February, Tim Benton of Global Food Security Program in the United Kingdom asked: "What if severe drought in the U.S. Midwest drives down the soy and maize harvest at the same time that a record-breaking heat wave in Europe bakes the continent's wheat crop? Or if agricultural reform in China leads to a decrease in rice production at the same time that Bangladesh has floods? How badly would world prices and availability be affected?" The conference was held in Washington, D.C.

Canadians got a hint of the effects of droughts elsewhere when cauliflower prices skyrocketed in early January, a result of the extended drought in California. Less well known is that before the civil war in Syria, drought resulted in the death of about 70 per cent of the livestock there, a factor in decreased political stability.

Some ideas suggested: ensuring that trade works by maintaining trade routes and logistics as well as international agreements to avoid export bans; and understanding how patterns of extreme weather are changing and adapting accordingly. And then there's reducing emissions from food production by changing diets. BF

Current Issue

March 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Farmer Planting Decisions for 2025 Taking Shape

Thursday, March 13, 2025

As farmers across Canada prepare for the 2025 crop year, Statistics Canada says their planting decisions reflect a complex mix of factors including moisture conditions, crop rotation considerations, and market prices. Nationally, farmers are expected to plant more wheat, corn for... Read this article online

Grain Growers of Sounding the Alarm Over U.S. Tariffs

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Not surprisingly, the Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) is raising concerns over the United States' decision to impose a 25% tariff on Canadian grain and grain products, a move that could jeopardize the livelihoods of family-run grain farms and lead to higher food prices for American... Read this article online

International Women’s Day – Angela Cammaert

Wednesday, March 5, 2025

As International Women’s Day approaches on March 8, Farms.com is asking women in ag about what they’d tell their younger selves about being a farmer, to give a piece of advice to young women entering the ag sector, and to highlight a woman in agriculture they consider a mentor or... Read this article online

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