The Alberta Irrigation Projects Association (AIPA) has released a new study that indicates Alberta receives economic benefits when farmers chose to irrigate their land.
The study suggests every cubic metre of water brought in for irrigation, in turn, leads to $3 towards Alberta’s gross domestic product (GDP) and $2 in labour income.
“We know as an industry that irrigation benefits the economy,” AIPA Chair Erwin Braun said. “All Albertans benefit from the irrigation industry and the investment that’s been made by the Province.
“We know farmers have also invested heavily in irrigation, with new equipment and modernizing their irrigation systems.”
In the agri-food sector, irrigation contributes close to 20 per cent of the total provincial GDP on only 4.7 per cent of cultivated land in Alberta.
“If you look at the $3.6 billion per year to GDP of the province, 90 per cent of the economic benefits accrue to the Province and 10 per cent to the producer,” Braun said. “That means for every dollar that is generated through irrigation, 10 cents goes to the producer and 90 cents goes to the economy.
“We think that’s big news, especially as we are experiencing low oil prices.”
Braun added agriculture is a growth industry because the world is always going to need food, especially in the upcoming years, due to global population forecasts.
In Rocky View County, producers are able to continue their growth without issues during this summer drought thanks to irrigation systems, according to AIPA Executive Director Ron McMullin
He said when irrigation is utilized, crops can be grown quicker than those that only rely on rainfall for moisture.
“In Rocky View (there are) a lot of cereals and forages for the livestock industry,” McMullin said. “(There is also) turf grass for new homes, that is irrigated (as well).”
The study also suggests irrigated crop and livestock production has led to 38,000 jobs, and 17,000 full time jobs have been created in the food processing industry because of an increase in use of irrigation.
“One of the things we are going to want to see is continued government support,” Braun said. “We are hoping to continue to upgrade our infrastructure.
“We’ve been irrigating in Alberta for over 100 years, some of the systems need to be upgraded.”
For more information on AIPA, visit aipa.ca
