IWRM in Canada: Recommendations for Agricultural Sector Participation
Integrated water resources management (IWRM) approaches are gaining popularity as an effective means of integrated landscape management around the globe. However, while the basic principles of IWRM are widely accepted as critical factors for managing and protecting increasingly stressed water resources, their acceptance as broad-based management tools for land management, specifically in the agricultural sector, is relatively new and only slowly gaining recognition.
Numerous integrated land and water planning initiatives are underway across Canada. This research was aimed at assisting Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada identify ways in which to effectively contribute and/or support these watershed-based land and water management approaches.
Recommendations included the use of financial and technical tools, with a broader understanding of the various approaches being used across the country and in selected international cases.
The final report, Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Canada: Recommendations for Agricultural Sector Participation (PDF - 2 MB), provides a review of IWRM practices in Canada, highlights agricultural sector involvement and provides recommendations for enhancing the participation of the agricultural sector in watershed-based planning and management.
A second phase of this work with AAFC involved a more detailed look at the linkages between IWRM and agri-environmental management in four watersheds in Canada and resulted in a report titled Agricultural Participation in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Canada: Four case studies. These include: the Okanagan River Basin in B.C.; the Lower Souris River Basin in Saskatchewan; the Yamaska watershed in Quebec and the Souris River Watershed in P.E.I. The case studies highlight regional differences and the need for context-specific planning, and also highlight the value and need for strengthened place-based approaches, such as those implemented through IWRM processes in watersheds.
Our main finding was that, while watershed planning and agri-environmental management are being promoted as areas of focus for federal, provincial and regional governments, there is little linking these complementary processes and targets.
Our main recommendation is to invest in place-based targets and outcomes, as well as in institutional and professional capacity to improve effective delivery and measurable outcomes of agri-environmental programming. This investment includes stronger support for IWRM and watershed groups, looking toward agricultural sector integration; cost-shared support for professional capacity in watersheds; and stronger support for water quality and quantity monitoring in agricultural watersheds.
