Federal funding is drying up for research on drought, climate and water supply and how they impact prairie farms.
Dawn Conway, executive director of the Canadian Foundation for Climate and Atmospheric Sciences, said her group has not received government funding for six years.
“Our climate has changed and we have to know more about how to adapt,” said Conway.
The lack of research dollars in the latest federal budget means there is no new money for CFCAS, which will be forced to halt some projects by the end of 2010.
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Given the large-scale nature of its projects, there are few other funding options available to it, Conway said.
Since the independent agency formed in 2000, it has doled out $116 million to 160 projects and 24 research networks.
They include two projects led by John Pomeroy, the Canada Research Chair at the University of Saskatchewan, one monitoring mountain snow and glaciers and the other tracking and investigating the cause and impact of prairie drought.
Winding down such projects means a loss of collaborative efforts between researchers and potentially a migration of knowledge and experts to other countries, said Conway.
CFCAS has contacted MPs, premiers and the prime minister with its concerns on the need to continue the work.
Citing the federal government’s priority to stimulate the economy, Conway said research furthers that goal by helping train skilled workers for the future.
“The funding of research will generate innovative ideas that will carry us forward.”
Conway said the data collected also has applications for government policy development, so she remained optimistic that money would be found in the future.
“Climate and weather is so important that it can’t be ignored forever. At some point, there will be support.”
Carol Reynolds of Genome Prairie was disappointed by the lack of funding but said her organization will look beyond government to find money for its research in flax, brassicas, vaccines and genomics.
She stressed the need for long-term stable funding for its agricultural projects, which include developing cold tolerant wheat varieties.
“It can take seven to 12 years to come to fruition when they can actually be used at the farmgate,” she said.
“Any hiccup in the funding has a major impact.”
Some ongoing projects are fully funded until 2013 but any new ones are now on hold, she said.
