Farm-Level Adaptation to Multiple Risks: Climate Change and Other Concerns

The impacts of, and responses to, climate change have been of recent interest to social scientists. The purpose of this paper is to present results from a case study examining farm-level adaptation, within the relevant social, political, and economic context, to risks and opportunities presented by climate change in one region of Manitoba, the Parkland region. This was pursued by soliciting opinions and impressions from farmers in the Parkland region of Manitoba regarding a variety of questions relating to previous and future farm-level adaptations to multiple risks and opportunities with a particular emphasis on climate change. The paper begins by drawing upon the research literature in developing a model of farm-level adaptation. This model is then applied to the Parkland region in Manitoba through a survey of farmers in the region.