Climate change driven agricultural frontiers: land sparing and land sharing strategies in Canada's north

Krishna Bahadur Kc and Edan Tzadok

Chapter 18 in The Elgar Companion to Food System Transformation for Sustainable Development, 2026, pp 247-254 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Climate change will create opportunities for agricultural expansion in Climate Change Driven Agricultural Frontiers (CCDAFs), which include areas that will become suitable for farming due to climate change. Up to 1.85 million km2 of CCDAFs may develop in Northern Canada by 2080 for corn, potato, soy, and wheat. Converting this land for agriculture may benefit food security in Northern communities. However, utilising this land for agriculture will affect carbon storage, biodiversity, water availability, and protected areas. CCDAFs cover 903,000 km2 of forest habitat, and clearing these areas may release up to 15 gigatonnes of carbon. As the development of CCDAFs will impact Indigenous land in northern communities, it will have implications for Indigenous land rights, including food sovereignty. This chapter discusses land sharing and land sparing strategies, specifically with reference to land use change, ecosystem services, and Indigenous sovereignty. Each strategy has advantages and disadvantages. Combining both methods may provide the most significant benefits in the potential agricultural expansion.

Keywords: Climate Change; Agriculture; Food Security; Land Sharing; Land Sparing; Frontiers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035332847
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