State of Practices & Technologies Assessment for Managing Extreme Heat Impacts in the Fraser Valley
(2018-2019)
Upland Agricultural Consulting was contracted by BC Agriculture and Food Climate Action Initiative to identify current practices for heat abatement in the Fraser Valley. The focus was specifically on the dairy, poultry and berry sectors.
The objectives of the project were to assess the applicability of technologies and practices that may assist Fraser Valley agriculture producers with managing the impacts of extreme heat, both now and under future climate conditions.
An Extreme Heat Project was identified as a priority for agricultural producers in the Fraser Valley Adaptation Strategies planning process in 2014-2015, and this project was prioritized for implementation when the plan was revisited and updated in 2018 (Fraser Valley Adaptation Strategies Update). This report was informed by two phases of stakeholder consultation, a literature review, and a jurisdictional scan. The consultation included in-person and telephone interviews with over 30 individuals, including producers, industry experts, government staff, and consultants. The literature review encompassed over 100 reports and articles, and the jurisdictional scan focused on regions with regions already accustomed to higher temperatures.
The project provides specific recommendations to support next steps to develop of informational resources, to close research gaps and/or transfer to relevant information to producers, for each of the dairy, poultry and berry sectors in the Fraser Valley.
