Land Suitability Assessment – Climate Ratings for Forage Crops in Delta, BC

Intensive dairy production in the Lower Fraser Valley is dependent on a reliable source of forages, much of which is supplied from Delta. The land used for forages is economically important within the Agricultural Land Reserve in British Columbia. The project addressed climate change adaptation of Delta’s agricultural sector forage crops by assessing the climate ratings of land suitability, based on the Land Suitability Rating System for the lands within the Agricultural Land Reserve in Delta, B.C. It thereby predicted the effects of future climate change scenarios.

Overall, the climate rating class improved for both legume and grass forages under the climate change scenarios. The limiting factor of climate shifts from heat requirement to moisture requirement through the years. Soil ratings can limit the final land suitability rating under hot dry climate change scenarios. Land suitability assessment and mapping for multiple crops are suggested for future studies for agricultural land use planning purposes.