Remembering Agriculture in Emergency Management
Canada’s agriculture sector is too often overlooked in emergency management conversations—yet it plays a critical role before, during, and after disasters. Farms, ranches, processors, and agri-businesses are deeply embedded in local communities and regional economies, making them both vulnerable to emergencies and essential to effective response and recovery.
There are three key reasons agriculture must be front of mind in emergency management planning.
First, agriculture can itself be a source of emergency risk. Disease outbreaks, pest infestations, fires, chemical incidents, and industrial accidents can originate within agricultural operations and quickly escalate, affecting workers, animals, food systems, and surrounding communities. Research on emergency preparedness on farms highlights the wide range of natural and human-caused hazards facing Canadian agriculture, many of which are intensified by climate change.
Second, agriculture represents critical infrastructure that communities must protect during disasters. Wildfires, floods, extreme weather, and evacuations can threaten livestock, crops, storage facilities, and supply chains. The loss of agricultural assets is not only an economic blow—it can disrupt food security, employment, and long-term recovery for entire regions. National frameworks for agriculture emergency management consistently emphasize the importance of preparedness, coordination, and recovery planning at the local level to reduce these impacts.
Third—and often underestimated—agriculture is a powerful source of support during emergencies. Farmers and agri-businesses possess heavy equipment, specialized transport, water access, fuel, skilled labour, and deep local knowledge. These assets can be invaluable during response and recovery, if they are identified and coordinated in advance.
This is where EMLCanada is intentionally positioning its work. We recently updated platform categories and sub-categories to make it easier for agricultural operations to participate. Services such as animal care, specialized transport, and logistics supports are now easier to list, alongside targeted equipment and supplies that are commonly available within the agriculture sector.
Listening to feedback from rural municipalities—particularly in Alberta—has been central to this evolution. Communities told us they wanted stronger, more intentional engagement with agriculture. In response, EMLCanada partnered with students from the Ballad Group’s AgriEdge program to research and identify leading agricultural suppliers and stakeholders across the province. This work helped strengthen our understanding of agricultural supply chains and highlighted the readiness and willingness of the sector to contribute to community resilience.
The lesson is clear: agriculture is not separate from emergency management—it is essential to it. By intentionally including farms and agri-businesses in preparedness efforts, communities can reduce risk, protect livelihoods, and unlock powerful local capabilities when emergencies occur.
At EMLCanada, we remain committed to listening, learning, and strengthening Canada’s emergency management network—together with the agriculture sector that feeds, supports, and sustains our communities.
