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NEW BRUNSWICK – GRADES 9-12
Agriculture and Climate Change: Growing Problems
or Opportunities for Growth?
Lesson Overview
Climate involves both long-term change and shorter-term variation. For agriculture,
variation is at least as important as change, especially for crop production. Changes and
variations can potentially help agriculture (new crops, longer growing seasons); but can also
cause problems (droughts, floods, invasion of new pest species). Agriculture involves more
than crops and animals, and other effects to the business of agriculture could result from
change and variation. In this lesson, students will assess the relative effect of climate
change and variation on agriculture in New Brunswick.
Grade Level
Grades 9-12 (secondary school)
Time Required
Teachers should be able to conduct the lesson in one or two classes.
Curriculum Connection (Province/Territory and course)
Atlantic Provinces Curriculum for Social Studies: Council of Atlantic Ministers of Education
and Training (CAMET): New Brunswick
Additional Resources, Materials and Equipment Required
 Student access to computers and the internet
Websites:
Drought watch website: http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/drought/at_e.htm
or http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/drought/at_f.htm
Soil maps of New Brunswick
http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/nsdb/detailed/nb/zipfiles.html
 Copies of the “Student Activity Guide” (attached)
Main Objective
The goal of this lesson is for students to assess the relative effect of climate change and
variation on agriculture in New Brunswick.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
 Recognize the differences between climate change and climate variation;
 Recognize the connection between climate conditions and influences on agriculture;
 Understand that climate impacts more than just crops and animals.
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NEW BRUNSWICK – GRADES 9-12
The Lesson
Teacher Activity
Introduction
Briefly review the water cycle.
Present the following information:
 Climate change involves
comparing average
temperature and
precipitation values over long
periods (≥30 years).
Climate variation involves
changes on scales of months
to a few years.
 Increases in temperature do
not necessarily mean
decreases in precipitation.
Even if precipitation does
increase, warmer
temperatures can lead to
increased evaporation,
resulting in less available
water for agriculture.
 Changes and variations can
potentially help agriculture
(new crops, longer growing
seasons); but can also cause
problems (droughts, floods,
invasion of new pest
species).
Lesson
Development
Explain that for many types of
agriculture, variation in climate is
a greater issue than is change.
Differences in the amount of rainfall
from summer to summer, for
example, are significant for
vegetable crops.
The average conditions, as recorded
in annual statistics and as depicted
by models, do not tell the whole
story.
For agriculture in particular, a single
storm or dry period can have an
overriding effect.
For New Brunswick, the predictions
are for an increased frequency of
drier and hotter periods; more
intense precipitation events (heavier
rainfall during individual storms);
Student Activity
Listen to the review of the water
cycle and the background
information required for the
lesson.
Discuss and answer the following
questions:
 Does the relative importance (of
climate change/climate variation)
vary for different styles of
agriculture (e.g. potatoes,
orchards, and livestock)?
 Have any new pest species
arrived in New Brunswick in
recent years?
 Have any existing pest species
become more prevalent?
Listen to the information.
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NEW BRUNSWICK – GRADES 9-12
greater irregularity in last spring
and first autumn frost dates; and
changes in snow cover.
Distribute the “Student Activity
Guide” and review the instructions.
Monitor and assist students as
necessary.
Complete the “Student Activity
Guide”.
Offer answers to questions, e.g.:
Ask students,
1. What would be the effects on
livestock?
2. Does a change in climate
necessarily allow new crops to be
grown in an area?
(Some soil maps for parts of New Brunswick
are available at
http://sis.agr.gc.ca/cansis/nsdb/detailed/nb/z
ipfiles.html)
3. Agriculture involves more than
crops and animals. What other
effects to the business of agriculture
could occur?
4. How would the province’s
infrastructure be affected?
5. What are some of the pressures
currently affecting agriculture in
New Brunswick?
Conclusion
 Requirement to air-condition
buildings
 Implications for managing
water, waste, manure
 Effects on forage production
 Spread of new pathogens
 Soil responds very slowly
(100s – 1000s of years) to
climate and vegetation
changes, so under natural
conditions it would take a
long time to adjust.
 Roads, bridges (e.g.
interruptions due to
flooding); energy
transmission and
distribution (e.g.
disruptions due to ice
storms)
 Demographics, commodity
prices, transportation
costs, regulatory
requirements
Stress that under future climate
change, the amount of climate
variation is expected to increase.
As humans, we all eat. Effects on
agriculture will impact everyone. To
summarize, ask:
 What steps could be taken to cope
with ongoing climate change and
variation?
 Do opportunities exist for
agriculture in New Brunswick? What
obstacles need to be addressed?
Divide students into groups.
Challenge students to develop a
strategic plan to address the
benefits and challenges to
Present group plans to peers and
offer suggestions for
improvement of each plan.
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NEW BRUNSWICK – GRADES 9-12
agriculture from climate changes in
New Brunswick over the next 25
years.
Lesson Extension
 Research the recently-announced Canada/New Brunswick Agriculture Futures
Initiative.
 Research the “Palmer Drought Index” (PDI) at
http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/drought/nlplmr_e.htm. Look at the maps of the PDI and
consider the implications for agriculture in New Brunswick.
Assessment of Student Learning
Evaluate completion of the student activity, class participation and contribution to the group
presentation.
Further Reading
 Vasseur, L., and Catto, N.R., 2008. Atlantic Canada; in From Impacts to Adaptation:
Canada in a Changing Climate 2007, edited by D.S. Lemmen, F.J.Warren, J. Lacroix
and E. Bush; Government of Canada, Ottawa, ON, p. 119-170.
 Climate Prosperity thematic module in the Canadian Atlas Online:
http://www.canadiangeographic.ca/atlas/themes.aspx?id=climateprosperity&lang=En
 National Roundtable on the Environment and the Economy (NRTEE) web site:
http://www.nrtee-trnee.com/
 Canadian Geographic/NRTEE A Changing Climate poster-map
 Agriculture chapter in the NRTEE’s Changing Currents report: http://www.nrteetrnee.com/eng/publications/changing-currents/changing-currents-eng.php
Link to Canadian National Standards for Geography
Essential Element#3: Physical Systems
 Components of Earth’s physical system
• Inter-annual climate variation
Essential Element#4: Human Systems
• Economic development
Essential Element#5: Environment and Society
• Effects on the human environment by changes in the physical environment
Essential Element#6: Uses of Geography
• Regional policies and problems with spatial dimensions
Geographic Skill #1: Asking Geographic Questions
 Plan and organize a geographic research project.
Geographic Skill #2: Acquiring Geographic Information
 Systematically locate and gather geographic information from a variety of primary and
secondary sources.
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NEW BRUNSWICK – GRADES 9-12
Student Activity Guide
1. Visit the Drought Watch Website:
http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/drought/at_e.htm or
http://www.agr.gc.ca/pfra/drought/at_f.htm
2. In the “seasonal maps” section, compare the amount of precipitation that New
Brunswick received in the 2009 and 2008 agricultural years (only the areas with
significant agricultural activity are shown on these maps).
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3. What variations are apparent, both between the two years and by geographic
area?_______________________________________________________________
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4. Look at the “rolling maps” of precipitation, showing changes over weekly to monthly
time-frames. How do these variations influence different types of agriculture?
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5. In the “growing season maps” section, compare the “Departure from Average
Precipitation” for 2009 and 2008.
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6. What variations are apparent, both between the two years and by geographic area?
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7. What are the possible implications for different types of agriculture?
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8. Why does a change from snow to rain in the winter influence agriculture in the
following summer? (Hints: less snow means more frost penetration, faster runoff
(flooding potential), less water entering the groundwater system)
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