The National Farmers Union sponsored Anastasia Fyk’s and Glenn Wright’s trips
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Two Canadian farmers are among the attendees of an international event on climate change.
Anastasia Fyk, a grain and oilseeds producer from near Garland, Man. and Glenn Wright, who raises grains and oilseeds near Delisle, Sask. are part of the seven-member delegation representing the National Farmers Union at the United Nations climate change summit in Glasgow, Scotland, known as COP26.
Fyk and Wright have observer status, which allows them to watch the proceedings. They’ll also speak at the People’s Summit for Climate Justice.
COP26’s goals include asking countries to present ambitious targets for 2030 emissions reduction targets, adapting to protect communities and securing financial support to help these goals come to fruition.
Agriculture is part of the solutions to climate change, Wright said.
“Any solution to address climate change has to involve agriculture and that’s why the National Farmers Union wants to be present at the COP26 summit,” he told CTV News.
Wright wants to learn how he can change the way he farms to help fight climate change.
Canada, for example, has pledged to cut fertilizer use by 30 per cent by 2030.
A move that could cost Canadian farmers about $48 billion in farm income between 2023 and 2030.
Wright intercrops canola with pulses or cover crops.
“That’s taking nitrogen and making it bio-available for plants so I don’t have to use nitrogen fertilizers made with the use of natural gas,” he told CTV News.
Fyk wants to use the opportunity to connect with other likeminded individuals.
It’s up to this generation to preserve the land for the future, she said.
“I believe as an environmentalist, farmer, a land steward, it is our responsibility to (fight climate change) so that the next generation has healthy soil and is able to live in prosperity,” she told CBC. “Our water security is threatened, along with our ability to produce food.”