Fact Sheet for Extreme Temperature Adaptation of Crops on Islands Farms

VGN Resources Group Inc. (VGN) will be the Program Administrator for projects under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food's (Ministry) extension programming for environment and climate change.  This RFP and project is administered by VGN on behalf of the Ministry.

The BC Ministry of Agriculture & Food request proposals from qualified professionals to deliver 1 or more comprehensive factsheet(s) related to crop adaptations to extreme heat and cold events for agricultural producers in the Islands and Sunshine Coast (ISC) region.  The successful applicant would also be requested to provide a brief research summary and communications materials to support the promotion of the factsheet(s) and their content.

The factsheet should include:
•    Appropriately accessible information about practical measures to improve crop resilience and operational adaptations to extreme heat and extreme cold events,
•    Strategies appropriate to all scales of crop farms in the region, particularly where strategies and similar resources appropriate to larger or supply managed operators do not already exist, or are not appropriate due to the local climate and scale of operators,
•    Strategies for all major crop groups common to the region, including but not limited to forage, field vegetables, greenhouse and hoop house protected crops, horticultural crops, berries, vineyards and orchards,
•    Links to resources about preserving farmer and farm worker health, such as pertinent resources from Island Health and Vancouver Coastal Health, AgSafe BC and the AgLife Network,
•    Links for FireSmart BC resources and any other relevant resources related to wildfire risks,
•    Links for any other internal or external resources and programs appropriate to the audience, such as BMP program funding and Farmwest.ca.

Controlled environment cropping systems and aquaculture are not in scope, however water quality may be in scope.

Deliverables are expected to require a review of techniques and measures, inputs, and management strategies to adapt to extreme temperatures on farms for the ISC region, to inform the creation of the factsheet(s).  Topics were suggested during producer engagement related to climate change adaptation in the ISC region through the Regional Extension Program.  Review of ideas that arose during that engagement, from key Ministry staff, promoted in Extreme Weather Preparedness for Agriculture Program (EWPA) and Beneficial Management Practices Program (BMP), and best practices from other sources such as industry associations and other similar regions is expected, as well as any other sources deemed appropriate by the Contractor.  A brief document for internal use summarizing the review and sources is expected.

In addition, the Contractor must deliver copy for one AgriService BC newsletter article, one Facebook post and photos to promote the content and publishing of the factsheet(s).

The final factsheet(s) must be delivered digitally using the provided AgriService BC FactSheet template and style guide and in keeping with the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership (SCAP) style guide.