Land that was once frozen in the Yukon Territory in Northern Canada is becoming agriculture friendly due to global warming and is being offered for free to small farmers.

The Yukon borders on Alaska and its government has already given away nearly 8,000 acres of farmland over the last 10 years, with a dozen applicants currently being considered.

Thomson Reuters Foundation news reports that this offer has been around since 1982, and as the region continues to heat up, some analysts believe demand for farms in the Yukon will increase.

Rod Jacob, a government official with the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources in the capital Whitehorse, said that the Yukon territory is expected “to get wetter and warmer” and that now was a good time to start farming in the area.

"A number of programs help farmers to become more resilient to climate change, including funding to increase access to water for irrigation or to have better water efficiency," said Jacob.

In far north Canada global warming is felt there first and often with more intensity than other areas.

Sub-zero

In the past 50 years average temperatures in the Yukon increased by 2 degrees Celsius because of climate change, more than twice as fast as the whole planet, and winter temperatures have gone up by an average 4 degrees Celsius, states a 2016 Canadian study. Although winter temperatures are still harsh, falling to minus 20 degrees according to 2017 government figures.

The rising temperature has also affected an important food source for indigenous people in the region, decreasing the population of caribou (reindeers). However, it has opened up opportunities with agriculture.

"We may see opportunity with an increased growing season," said Jacob in an email to Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Jacob said that the agriculture industry in the region is relatively small with farmers producing mostly vegetables, hay, meat and other products.

The Yukon is vast with only 40,000 people living in an area bigger than Belgium, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands combined.

Up to 160 acres of free land in the area (maximum allowed under the program) is only available for Canadians and permanent residents who have lived in the Yukon for more than a year, said Jacob.

There are costs to join the initiative and aspiring farmers must pay for surveying, pledge to make investments in the property and meet other conditions.

On average, the Yukon government gives out 10 parcels of free land per year, mostly around Whitehorse, and farmers must farm on it for seven years before selling. However, these rules don’t apply to investors wanting to buy farmland through traditional investment.

In the warmer Pacific region, climate change is causing temperatures to get hotter and sea levels are continuing to rise. In addition, natural disasters are getting stronger and frequent.

Over time, Pacific Islands may eventually become uninhabitable causing people to move to areas such as, maybe - the Yukon.