Institutional Fit and Interplay in a Dryland Agricultural Social–Ecological System in Alberta, Canada

Abstract

Canada’s Dry Belt has been subject to recurring climatic stimuli, political changes and macro-economic conditions throughout its history of human occupation. The various social–ecological systems that emerged as a result of these broad stimuli, changes and conditions have been associated with attendant societal and institutional reorganization. This paper uses the lens of institutional fit and interplay to examine three dominant systems – open range ranching, crop-based wheat farming, and mixed ranching – since Europeans first settled the area in the late 19th Century. We focus on one particular example institutional jurisdiction, the Special Areas of Alberta administrative unit, to illustrate how institutional fit and interplay both facilitate particular social-ecological systems and contribute to a shift in the dominant system.