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From Field to Shelf:Water solutions Across the Food Supply Chain
Industry Best Practicesin Increasing Efficiency in Food Production
Ron McMullin, Executive Director
Forms of Water
Forms of Water
Forms of Water
Forms of Water
Forms of Water
Forms of Water
Forms of Water
Forms of Water
Forms of Water
Southern Alberta Scenes Made Possible By Water
Forms of Water
One of the previous slides was not irrigation-based; which one was
it?
Other Forms of Water(with a few solids added)
Forms of Water
How much water does it take to grow food?Lettuce (500 ml) 11 litres
Ketchup (30 ml) 11 litres
Whole Wheat Bread (1 slice) 26 litres
Tomato (125 grams) 30 litres
Fresh Broccoli (75 grams) 42 litres
Oranges (130 grams) 53 litres
Milk (250 ml) 180 litres
Cheese (28 grams) 210 litres
Egg (1) 240 litres
Plain Yogurt (500 ml) 333 litres
Chicken (227 grams) 1,250 litres
Hamburger (113 grams) 2,330 litres
Steak (227 grams) 4,662 litres
Crops Grown Under Irrigation in Alberta
• Alfalfa seed, canary seed, caraway seed, carrots, catnip, chick peas, dill, dry beans, dry peas, faba beans, fresh sweet corn, fresh peas, grass seed, hemp, lawn turf, lentils, market garden vegetables and small fruits, mint, monarda, nursery stock, onions, potatoes, pumpkins, safflower, seed potatoes, soy beans, sugar beets, sunflower, canola, flax, mustard, barley, grain corn, oats, triticale, wheat (5 kinds), 15 various forages for livestock.
Irrigation: variety, assurance, quality, and yield
Irrigation Best Practices
• Irrigation has a major public trust – to make the best use of water licensed by the Government (people) of Alberta
• Use less to produce more • Create more opportunities for society
Losses that can be reduced• Seepage from canals• Canal base-flow spills• Seepage, evaporation and spills from laterals
(small delivery canals)• Runoff from gravity flooded fields• Non-uniform applications to crops• Evaporation of water being applied to crops
IRP Program• Commitment of Provincial Government and
Irrigation Districts to make annual investment in improving the irrigation system
• 75% government: 25% irrigation district• Government $24 M per year• Districts $8 M per year, plus many invest
more of their own funds to speed up the rehabilitation; more than $26 M last year
Controlling Canal Seepage• Losses are 2 to 3 %; membrane liners save
water
Controlling Canal Tailout and Bypass
• Remote and accurate monitoring of flow in canals and laterals (8,000 km)
• Automated gate operation and remote activation of gates to control flows
• Required notice from farmers to turn water on and off at the farm
SCADA – Measuring/Controlling water deliveries
Systems • Must be calibrated• Report flows• Can adjust flows to match demand• Not total automation: flow adjustment much
quicker and quite accurate but still need personal experience and verification
Benefits of better flow control
• Reduced diversions• Less spill water, i.e., less return flow (water
quality is always lower)
Return flow reduction from districts
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1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
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Pipelines
Pipelines Versus Open Chanels
Pipelines Advantages include• No seepage• No evaporation• No water use by phreatophytic plants• On/off capability with appropriate
valving
2810 km of Pipelines; 630 km Canals Membrane-Lined
Water savings from Pipelines and Canal Rehabilitation
• Seepage and evaporation losses about 3%• 43% of canal system in pipe and lined canal• At least 2/3 of greatest problem areas• Savings 42,000 ac-ft per year
Water savings – reduce evaporation, seepage, and leaching on-farm
Upping Efficiencyof On-Farm Water Application
Gravity Wheel-move High Pressure Pivots Low Pressure Pivots2010 145,879 198,043 156,784 802,1732001 206,956 335,740 223,510 447,710
Change -61,077 -137,697 -66,726 354,463
Inches 7.5 3.5 2 TotalAcre-feet 38,173 40,162 11,121 89,456 (110 M m3)
Changes in On-farm Irrigation Systems over 10 Years
Water Saved
Efficiency Investment Results• Total $$$ spent by Government of Canada,
Government of Alberta, and the Irrigation Districts in collaborative programs equals $1.02 billion; farmers $0.6 billion
• Canada’s irrigation, of which Alberta constitutes over 60%, is ranked 2nd in the world for its efficient systems (for countries with as much or more irrigated area)
Efficiency Investment Results• Since 1976, irrigation farmers in districts
irrigate 46% more land and divert 10% less water.
Increasing productivity of potatoes, sugar beets, and soft white wheat
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1980
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Riparian Health
Riparian Health
Social Commitments
• AIPA Human Use Declaration: communities (people) will be given priority over irrigation in times of drought
• Irrigation districts will make water available in the SouthGrow region for communities and economic development
Climate Change• Climate change is a big unkown• Dr. Stephan Kienzle’s research indicates we
may have as much moisture fall in the mountains, but that the form and timing will change: likely more rainfall and less snow, so more rapid peaking of rivers and more rapid recession
When you are thirsty, you find a way to adapt, and get water