Farmers and communities throughout B.C. are becoming better equipped for drought with ongoing support to help improve their management, delivery and storage of water for agricultural purposes.
“With a changing climate, drought is an ongoing concern to the success of our agricultural communities,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and Food. “That’s why we’re continuing to help B.C.’s farmers and ranchers access water with new and improved equipment, storage facilities and other technologies that keep crops growing and producing the food we all rely on and enjoy.”
The Agriculture Water Infrastructure Program is opening its next round of applications for eligible farmers and communities, to support and improve water availability, storage, efficiency and sustainability. These projects will help support food security and production, while benefiting stream flows and aquatic ecosystems. The program is administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C. (IAF).
One such project is underway with the Douglas Lake Cattle Company, which is increasing the long-term water supply on its historic Gang Ranch in the Cariboo-Chilcotin. The heavy-duty construction of water-storage infrastructure is expected to result in an additional 400 hectares of land returning to agricultural production.
“Thanks to funding support from the B.C. government’s Agriculture Water Infrastructure Program, we’ve been able to significantly improve our water-storage capacity in an area that is both water-scarce and drought-prone,” said Phil Braig, general manager, Douglas Lake Cattle Company. “These much-needed upgrades have allowed us to meet B.C. dam-safety regulation requirements and ensure a reliable, long-term water supply for our livestock and operations.”
Click here to see more...