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CRD climbs on board for climate action project

Agriculture, food targeted in provincial initiative

The Cariboo Regional District (CRD) board has appointed two of its directors to participate on the BC Agriculture & Food Climate Action Initiative (BCAFCAI).

Established in 2008 by the BC Agriculture Council with support from the Ministry of Agriculture, the program focuses on creating regional strategies and actions for agricultural adaptation to projected climate change impacts.

CRD chair Al Richmond says the BCAFCAI recently sent the board a letter to ask if it would get involved.

"[It is] because we have some major agricultural operations in our region, ranching and [farms] and greenhouses. So, we've agreed to appoint two people to serve on that committee.

The new appointees are Area B (Quesnel West-Bouchie Lake) Director Heloise Dixon-Warren and Area F Director (Horsefly-Likely-150 Mile House) Joan Sorley.

The initiative’s pilot project also included Peace River Region District, Cowichan Valley Regional District and the Municipality of Delta.

The end result of the CRD's involvement will produce Regional Agricultural Adaptation Strategies for the Cariboo-Chilcotin, Richmond notes.

"Our main attraction to this was dealing with the water-management issues. Some of the issues were water supply, storage, drainage, and ditching, and, of course, emergency planning and things like that."

The CRD has been looking into climate change impacts on the San Jose Watershed, so the directors wanted to get on board to include those issues in this initiative.

"I think there will be other things that come out of it, but at the time [of our decision], it was the water management and how we are going to deal with climate change and the challenges our agriculture people are facing [and] the communities are facing as well."

These challenges include managing future needs from irrigation to drinking water under an ongoing decline in both surface and ground water levels, he explains.

The letter explains cash and in-kind contribution of $10,000 is required to participate in the project, but upon completion, the CRD will be able to access funds to implement eligible climate adaptation projects.

"We'll be funding that out of our planning budget. So, we'll be looking at [aspects] mostly to do with land use and things like that."