Living With Climate Change: How Prairie Farmers Deal with Increasing Weather Variability

The report examines agricultural resilience in Saskatchewan's northern and southern study areas, identifying early frost and drought as primary weather stressors. It finds that while most farmers rely on government insurance and 'taking the loss,' innovative 'leading farmers' build resilience through crop diversification, specialty crops, direct marketing, and zero-till farming. The study also evaluates the effectiveness of government programs, noting that while crop insurance is essential, programs like CAIS are viewed as overly complex and ineffective.

• Early frost is the most significant weather event affecting farmers in both study areas, with 87% of respondents in the northern area and 74% in the southern area identifying it as a major impact.
• The most common response to extreme weather events is 'taking the loss,' which occurs because most farming decisions are made before the growing season, leaving producers unable to react to sudden events like hailstorms.
• Zero or minimum tillage farming has become a standard practice in Saskatchewan, credited with improving the ability to survive droughts by retaining soil moisture and preventing erosion.
• Innovative 'leading farmers' increase resilience by diversifying their operations, such as moving into high-value specialty crops (e.g., cherries, fireweed, and rumex) and utilizing direct marketing to avoid middle-man costs.
• Saskatchewan Crop Insurance is widely viewed as a necessity, but the Agri-Stability (CAIS) program is highly unpopular due to its complexity and the difficulty producers face in understanding its functions or receiving payments.
• Financial resources, specifically savings and liquid assets, are critical for coping with weather events, as the annual production and sale of crops serve as the foundation for these resources.
• Interdependence, such as pooling labor and equipment among family members or using custom farming, helps producers reduce input costs and financial vulnerability to weather shocks.
• The report identifies a risk in Saskatchewan's agricultural structure, noting a high dependency on grain (76%) compared to livestock (24%), which leaves the province's agricultural economy more vulnerable to weather variability.

APA

Pearce, K. T. W. (2009). Living With Climate Change: How Prairie Farmers Deal with Increasing Weather Variability. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/living_with_cc_weather_variability.pdf

Chicago

Pearce, Kent Terrence Whitney. Living With Climate Change: How Prairie Farmers Deal with Increasing Weather Variability. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2009. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/living_with_cc_weather_variability.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Pearce |first1=Kent Terrence Whitney |title=Living With Climate Change: How Prairie Farmers Deal with Increasing Weather Variability |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2009 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/living_with_cc_weather_variability.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{pearce2009living, author = {Pearce, Kent Terrence Whitney}, title = {{Living With Climate Change: How Prairie Farmers Deal with Increasing Weather Variability}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2009}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/living_with_cc_weather_variability.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }