Navigating water security with increasing food demand

Renewed interest in irrigation and an increasing focus on the economic benefits

Rob: Irrigated agriculture plays a vital role in water security. Countries that have better access to water are producing most of our food, but climate change is shifting the distribution of water across the globe. To compensate, more people are turning to irrigation. The Food and Agriculture Organization even listed irrigation as one of six technologies that are key for improving food security resilience. I asked Todd Simenson, one of our water resource engineers, what trends he is seeing.

Todd: Some municipalities in Western Canada are expecting—or are already facing—more pressure on their water supply. In response, cities are modernizing their systems and looking at storage options to better retain the water they have.

Strong irrigation solutions focus on efficiency every step of the way. Some of that comes from technologies like SCADA, which measures the soil moisture to make sure we’re not overwatering parts of the field. Some of that efficiency comes from adding more irrigated land. For example, Saskatchewan is focused on new irrigation. This will help increase access to the natural resources that they already have and make sure that they’re used as efficiently as possible.

These upgrades help future-proof against more limited water allocations. They also offer big economic upsides. Increasing water security for farmers means higher profit per acre, more total output, and the confidence to grow higher-value crops that might take a little more care. About 4.4 percent of irrigable land in Alberta is fully equipped right now, and that small slice makes up nearly 30 percent of the agricultural GDP.

Secondary industries also benefit from water security. When there are crops that need to be harvested and processed, that’s when things like processing plants, silage for animals, and everything down the production chain starts to benefit. It’s a bonus that efficient irrigation systems can offer all this upside without necessarily increasing the pressure on an area’s water reserves.

Growing more with less—the role of innovation

Rob: Some of the most interesting agriculture-related water management work has focused on growing animal fodder indoors. Right now, livestock production uses 30 percent of agricultural water. A 2014 study reported water consumption per kilogram of berseem, lucerne, oat, sorghum, and cowpea livestock feed uses hundreds of litres of water. However, indoor farming of feed production is reporting two to three litres of water per kilogram of livestock feed produced. Our AgTech partner NuLeaf Farms is actively engaged in developing indoor animal fodder projects for farmers that save land, water, and money. Mark Griffiths shared his thoughts on controlled environment agriculture (CEA).

Mark: I am a firm believer in the promise of CEA to fight climate change, modernize our cities, and increase local food and water security. CEA won’t replace traditional agriculture, nor should it try. Better to find a place where it augments traditional agriculture as it can be an effective, sustainable, and local option to add to our food security mix. CEA is not so reliant on changing weather conditions. As such, it provides increased crop predictability, which means we can expect more product per litre of water used, even if the total output is smaller than a large farm.

This kind of innovative farming also helps fight climate change. Not only do you have the chance to aid in water security but local production means less distance for food to travel. That reduces some of the emissions, and pressures, in our global supply chain.

A lot of the technology we use in CEA is evolving at a rapid rate. It wasn’t long ago that leafy greens were the main specialty for these setups. But now, because we have gained a better appreciation of lighting requirements and nutrient mixes along with improvements to irrigation, we’re seeing success with things like fruit production. As more of these projects pop up around the world—and the process gets even more refined—we’ll be able to reduce water scarcity in agriculture, shrink our carbon footprint, and improve the food and water security of our local communities.

Accounting for competing interests in a watershed or drainage basin

Rob: Water is fundamental to everything we do. Every industry requires water, and every stage of the food supply chain affects the planet’s water security. Agriculture accounts for 70 percent of our global water use, mostly for irrigation. The demand won’t be going down anytime soon. Food demand is expected to increase by 60 percent by 2050, and this growth will require more land, more intense production, and more water.

We are already seeing more discussion on the tradeoffs that come with this increased demand. In my home state of Arizona, irrigated agriculture accounts for 72 percent of the state’s water use. However, as water becomes scarcer, some are calling for agriculture to make large cuts in its water use. I often hear planners suggest things like letting fields go fallow as a water security strategy. I’m skeptical of this approach, especially given how important agriculture is around the globe. Dr. Stephen Palmer, technical director in Stantec’s UK-North Region, shared how technology can help predict and mitigate the environmental and investment risks associated with irrigation.

Stephen: One of the challenges investors face is that the change in our global environment is creating new risks. Some of it comes from information gaps in existing economic theory. Without precedent, they can’t account for the environmental and investment consequences.

Because of these risks, there’s been more interest in tools that help us see the impacts of different water planning tradeoffs. One example is WORLD7. It is a dynamic model that reflects the complex interactions between population, economy, food production, ecology, and resources at a global level. 

We’re working with WORLD7 to introduce water resource demands into the model. Then we can use the results to support our clients with better information on agricultural investment. This information can provide the risk on supply and demand, and cost of food production. We’re developing these resources to help clients make better decisions in a complex and fast-changing environment.

We can’t just assume that diverting water resources from agriculture to support other development is the best course of action. It’s our responsibility to assess the risks and rewards linked to a production strategy. Using dynamic models like WORLD7 helps us see the entire picture when considering tough societal tradeoffs.

What is the path forward?

Rob: One thing we know is that the future will need more food. Our population continues to rise; however, our current food supply cannot keep up. Unfortunately, that demand will happen against the backdrop of climate change and its impact on global water distribution. We will need more infrastructure to move water to where it’s needed and more innovation to grow more with less.

The choice of where and how to use our water is becoming tougher. This increases the need for more sophisticated planning and management tools to help ensure water security for society as a whole.