As farmers in British Columbia face yet another season of drought and extreme heat, the province has stepped up with C$80 million to help with water management and irrigation.
“We can’t sit by and let our farmers struggle with a lack of water or a lack of money to replant those fruit trees and those fruit plants—and those vines that drive so many critical infrastructures—with varieties that can survive rapid temperature swings,” Premier David Eby said last month. “So we have to take action for our farmers.”
“If we don’t, we are going to be very hungry in British Columbia.”
B.C. has experienced severe weather conditions for the last few years. Scorching heat and reduced rainfall have been hard on farmers during the summers, serving as an indication of how climate change can push food systems beyond conditions they have adapted to.
For instance, on her family farm in Pemberton Meadows, Anna Helmer noticed how temperatures have been rising for years, so she introduced some mitigation efforts to protect the crops and soil, she recently wrote in a First Person column for CBC News. Having farmed for decades, she found that planting cover crops helped the soil hold moisture and handle droughts. And prioritizing winter sales helped avoid handling crops during intense heat.
She felt things were “manageable,” she wrote, until the heat dome in 2021, when temperatures in the region soared above 40°C. “I must admit that I did not have a firm grasp on the immediacy and severity of the situation, and I had no idea I would feel it so personally.”
Helmer is not alone in her concern. This past winter has been unusually dry and warm in B.C.—and across Canada—as climate change intersected with an El Niño season. The lack of precipitation and accumulated snowmelt points to another dry summer ahead this year. In addition to heightening the fear of wildfires, it has farmers worried about how their livestock will fare, writes CBC News.
“I’d say that there is the normal spring enthusiasm, but in the back of our minds, we’re still concerned about how this year is going to play out with respect to water,” said Werner Stump, vice-president of the BC Cattlemen’s Association.
The provincial government announced the $80 million in funding to expand the Agriculture Water Infrastructure Program, which launched last year with $20 million and supported 108 projects in the province. The program supports projects for water storage, like agricultural dams, dugouts to catch snowmelt, and water supply systems for irrigation and livestock. Smaller producers can apply beginning this month April, while larger operations become eligible in May.
Support is also available through provincial workshops to help farmers adapt to drought conditions. Bruce Naka, an irrigation designer who delivers the workshops, said he tailors the information to address what producers need in different regions and ties in information about historical water use.
“Our seasons are changing, and the unfortunate part about it is we don’t always have the water that we need,” Naka said. “But we have to look at it holistically, because the water isn’t only needed by farms. We have to consider the environment, as well.”
McBride producer Aaron Ford told The Rocky Mountain Goat he attended a workshop and found it helpful, though he irrigates berries, not forage production. Many other producers in his area don’t irrigate, he added, so the workshop was an opportunity to “get some numbers and ideas.”
