When Matthew Roy moved from New Hampshire in 2020 to start a farm in southwestern Nova Scotia, one of the new crops he zeroed in on was saffron.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Dar Yasin
Matthew Roy relocated from New Hampshire to southwestern Nova Scotia in 2020 to establish a farm. Among the new crops he focused on was saffron, a spice renowned as "red gold" and traditionally cultivated in countries like Iran, India, and Spain. Roy opted for saffron cultivation in Nova Scotia due to the region's changing climate, foreseeing warmer temperatures. He saw success with his saffron harvest, despite facing challenges like extreme rainfall impacting yields. Margaret Skinner, a research professor at the University of Vermont, collaborated with Roy and emphasized the impact of climate change on saffron cultivation, highlighting challenges such as droughts and floods. Navin Ramankutty, a Canada Research Chair at the University of British Columbia, echoed these concerns, noting the need for farmers to adapt to changing climate conditions. A 2022 study published in the Canadian Journal of Plant Science explored the challenges of cultivating saffron in cold climates, suggesting that the right farming techniques could improve results. Despite the challenges, saffron cultivation has been successful in parts of Canada, including Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, and British Columbia. The process of harvesting saffron involves hand-picking purple crocus flowers, carefully isolating and drying the stigmas, which are then used as the spice. Saffron finds applications in food, medicine, and cosmetics, with a kilogram requiring the stigmas of about 150,000 flowers and fetching high prices in the market.
Bashir Ahmad Allie, from the Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, noted the impact of climate change on saffron farming in regions like Jammu and Kashmir. While saffron cultivation has been traditionally passed down through generations in these areas, changing climate patterns are discouraging younger farmers due to increased unpredictability and risks. Allie emphasized the need for collaboration between researchers and farmers to understand the effects of climate change on saffron cultivation. Despite challenges, saffron cultivation is expanding in Canada, reflecting the global impact of climate change on agricultural practices.
