Like other regions in BC, the Comox Valley is experiencing increasingly severe and frequent droughts. In 2023, very low precipitation levels and an unusually rapid and early snowmelt caused an unprecedentedly early onset to summer drought conditions which persisted for the duration of the summer. These created complex and challenging conditions for local farmers and aquatic ecosystems, highlighting an urgent need to build capacity for drought resilience in the Comox Valley to enable the stewardship of freshwater ecosystems and to support farm viability and local food production.
In December 2023, the Institute for Sustainable Food Systems hosted a regional farmer dialogue to document the scope and scale of drought impacts experienced by farmers in the Comox Valley and to identify their priorities for research, extension and coordinated action to build drought resilience. This discussion is summarized here:
