Conservative leader Erin O’Toole’s agricultural platform isn’t particularly daring except for a piece on food security that plans greenhouse expansion in Canada.
The greenhouse plan would grow more of our own vegetables and reduce dependence on global suppliers.
Canada imports $3.7 billion vegetables annually with two-thirds from the United States.
The most prolific United States vegetable-producing area will experience devastating flood impacts within the next 40 years.
In 1861 California experienced a massive flood that turned the entire 11.5 million acre Central Valley into a lake rivalling the Great Lakes in Canada.
The December to January flood took years to recover.
The best account of the flood came from notes by geographer Will Brewer, hired to categorize the state’s mineral and agricultural possibilities.
Brewer wrote how the Central Valley was under 15 feet of water, telegraph poles were covered, the capital Sacramento was under water. The state legislature had to shut down.
A 15-foot snow pack in the Sierra Madre Mountains and 32 inches of rain in 10 weeks caused the flood. The Indigenous residents fled, warning white settlers of a severe flood.
Mexican cattle ranchers in the Central Valley were decimated. Herds declined from three million to 630,000 head. Entire houses were ripped away by the flood.
The 1861 flood was all but forgotten until a few years ago. Scientists researched sediments in the Central Valley. They were surprised to find evidence that major catastrophic floods have occurred every 100 to 200 years in the Central Valley
Flood dates they discovered happened around 1235, 1395, 1555, 1750, 1810. The 1861 flood wasn’t bad enough to register on the sedimentary record.
Further atmospheric research has revealed an “atmospheric river’’ of moisture-laden air that drifts into California from the Pacific Ocean providing up to half the state’s rainfall and often creating floods.
When conditions are right the “atmospheric river’’ could deluge the state with flooding rain.
The impact of a once in 200-year flood around 2060 would be immense. The Central Valley has 6.5 million residents, supplies one-quarter of United States vegetable production, one-fifth of its milk.
An 1861 style flood would create $725 billion damage, almost three times the $200 billion from the Big Earthquake expected in the state.
Given this scenario and international trade tensions, Canada needs to take action to ensure food security for our people.
The greenhouse scheme isn’t as farfetched as one might think.
Greenhouses are an expensive way to grow vegetables with intensive energy needs in our cold winters and water use.
New hydroponic growing technologies drastically reduce water needs.
With solar and wind energy, the greenhouses can reduce dependence on expensive natural gas fuel for heat. The recent development of storage for energy from solar and wind power only makes this source more attractive.
Plant care and harvest costs will be high but robotics and drones can reduce those costs.
If Canada starts talking and promoting this greenhouse program now, the slow rate of adoption by our system should see a greenhouse program established by 2060 when floods will cut off our U.S. vegetable supply.
Ron Walter can be reached at [email protected]
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
