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      • HARVEST
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      COSTS, BENEFITS, AND BARRIERS TO THE ADOPTION AND RETENTION OF SHELTERBELTS IN PRAIRIE AGRICULTURE AS IDENTIFIED BY SASKATCHEWAN PRODUCERS

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      REMPEL-THESIS.pdf (2.674Mb)
      Date
      2015-01-23
      Author
      Rempel, Janell
      Type
      Thesis
      Degree Level
      Masters
      Metadata
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      Abstract
      The role of shelterbelts within prairie agriculture is changing. In the past, shelterbelts have been promoted and adopted for soil stabilization and their ability to protect farmsteads and livestock from harsh prairie climates. In today’s agricultural landscape advances in production technology, an increase in farm size, and changes to policy have changed the circumstances in which decisions related to shelterbelts are made. The objective of this research is to identify the costs, benefits and the barriers to adoption and retention of shelterbelts that influence agricultural producers and landowners’ management decisions related to shelterbelts in the Canadian Prairies. In the summer of 2013, surveys of producers and landowners from throughout the province of Saskatchewan (and several from Alberta) were conducted. Using the information collected in the surveys, the costs and benefits (both economic and non-economic), and potential barriers to adoption and retention of shelterbelts that influence producer’s management decisions were identified and analyzed. This research identified that overall shelterbelts removal is increasing and that there are many barriers to adoption and retention for agricultural producers related to the economic costs. In addition, it was found that many of the benefits of shelterbelts are non-economic and more difficult for producers and landowners to recognize within their operations. Going forward, shelterbelts have the potential to play a major role in climate change mitigation by sequestering significant amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) into the soil and as biomass carbon in aboveground and belowground parts of planted shelterbelt trees or shrubs within the agricultural landscape. In addition, shelterbelts provide many ecological goods and services to landowners and society. In conclusion, understanding the context in which producers are making decisions related to shelterbelts within their operations is important from an agricultural production, climate change, and policy perspective.
      Degree
      Master of Environment and Sustainability (M.E.S.)
      Department
      School of Environment and Sustainability
      Program
      Environment and Sustainability
      Supervisor
      Kulshreshtha, Suren
      Committee
      Brown, Bill; Van Rees, Ken; Noble, Bram
      Copyright Date
      December 2014
      URI
      http://hdl.handle.net/10388/ETD-2014-12-1903
      Subject
      Shelterbelts
      Prairie Agriculture
      Costs
      Benefits, Barriers to Adoption and Retention
      Removal
      Ecological Goods and Services
      Policy
      Soil Zones
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      • Graduate Theses and Dissertations
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