Agricultural Water Futures

PI: Merrin Macrae, University of Waterloo

Project Manager: Harriet Bigas

The Problem: The fate of Canadian agriculture depends strongly on water availability, patterns of water use, and water quality. Key drivers include hydro-climatic and geomorphic factors, crop choices, land management practices and governance systems. With a changing climate and changing hydrology, this fate is uncertain and research will lead to better decisions and a more secure future for food production in Canada.

The Plan: This project seeks to evaluate water availability, use, and quality in a pan-Canadian context with the goal of improving current and future agricultural water sustainability. This project will accomplish these goals through a combination of field-based research, data mining, and hydro-climatic and socio-economic modelling efforts.

The Outcome: Working with our partners, and focuses on the needs of the end users (farmers, for example), the project will develop improved predictive tools, policy instruments and governance strategies for the sustainable management of water resources in agricultural regions of Canada.