Prairie agriculture is exposed to large climate variability, extreme weather events and to
the climate sensitivity of production systems, agri-ecosystems and the soil and water
resources that support agriculture. A high adaptive capacity in the agricultural sector has
been attributed to a history of adaptation to climate risks. This chapter adopts mainly the
impact-based approach described in Chapter 2 of this volume. The material presented
here considers the potential and net impacts from climate change by examining the
exposure of prairie agriculture to risks and the related climate sensitivity of the soil, water
and ecological resources that enable crop and livestock production.
