Canada – Alberta

Province supports farm families with irrigation investments

The provincial and federal governments are providing 1 million dollars in grants to improve water management, environmental sustainability and agricultural production. "Modern and reliable irrigation is critical to the success of Alberta farmers. This funding will support Alberta farm families with the freshwater resources they need to improve the efficiency, sustainability and productivity of their operations across southern Alberta," said Oneil Carlier, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry. According to Lawrence MacAulay, Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, "Irrigation is the lifeblood of farm operations in southern Alberta. This investment will provide efficient, innovative and sustainable water resources to Alberta’s farmers while contributing to the growth of the Albertan agriculture and food industry, as well as the Canadian economy." The grants will provide funding to help irrigation districts and irrigators plan and develop tools that will enhance innovation and improve efficiency of Alberta’s irrigation systems.

The 1 million dollars grant program is part of the Growing Forward 2 – federal-provincial-territorial partnership that has a mandate to drive an innovative, competitive and profitable Canadian agriculture and agri-food sector. Alberta’s irrigation system includes 8,000 kilometers of canals and pipelines, worth an estimated 3.5 billion dollars and provides water to roughly 1.4 million acres, 50 towns and villages, multiple industries and processors. It allows for the production of a diverse range of cereal, oil seed, forage and specialty crops, and has made southern Alberta the world capital for seed canola production.

Alberta Environment