Agriculture Represents the Largest Consumer of Water in Canada
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
Canada’s agriculture industry has two challenges and opportunities ahead. One is to feed a growing world population that is expected to reach 9.1 billion by 2050 and the second, is to grow food in an efficient and sustainable way.
The United Nation’s has declared today World Water Day, an annual day of observation held on March 22 which seeks to highlight the importance of freshwater. This year’s theme is particularly important for the agricultural community to take note of, as it is the year of water cooperation.
According to the Conference Board of Canada, water use in agriculture is notably inefficient, because it returns less than 30 per cent of its total water consumption. The Conference Board has classified agriculture as the largest consumer of water in Canada.
Irrigation represents the largest portion of water use (85 per cent) with livestock agriculture representing the second most with (15 per cent). Irrigation practices, taking place largely in Alberta, British Columbia, and Saskatchewan, account for 85 per cent of all irrigation in Canada.
With this in mind, leaders in the agriculture industry should take up the UN World Water Day’s theme of cooperation and work towards promoting and adopting water cooperation practices. The agricultural industry has the opportunity to show the country and the world that it can take the lead on water conservation practices.