This document discusses ways to increase efficiency in the food production water supply chain. It outlines how irrigation districts in Alberta have collaborated with government to invest over $1 billion in improving irrigation systems. This has resulted in irrigating 46% more land while diverting 10% less water. Key strategies discussed are lining canals to reduce seepage, using pipelines to eliminate evaporation, and improving on-farm irrigation systems. The changes have saved an estimated 110 million cubic meters of water annually. The document also notes commitments to prioritize communities over irrigation in drought and to support economic development with water supplies.

1. From Field to Shelf:
Water solutions Across the Food Supply Chain
Industry Best Practices
in Increasing Efficiency in Food Production
Ron McMullin, Executive Director

2. Forms of Water

3. Forms of Water

4. Forms of Water

6. Forms of Water

7. Forms of Water

8. Forms of Water

9. Forms of Water

10. Forms of Water

11. Forms of Water

13. Southern Alberta Scenes
Made Possible By Water

15. Forms of Water

29. One of the previous slides was not
irrigation-based; which one was
it?

30. Other Forms of Water
(with a few solids added)

41. Forms of Water

43. 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

44. 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.

45. Irrigation: variety, assurance, quality, and yield

46. 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

48. 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

49. 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

50. Controlling Canal Seepage
• Losses are 2 to 3 %; membrane liners save
water

51. 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

52. SCADA – Measuring/Controlling water
deliveries

54. 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

56. Benefits of better flow control
• Reduced diversions
• Less spill water, i.e., less return flow (water
quality is always lower)

57. 120
100
Equiv. Depth (mm)
80
60
40
20
0
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
YEAR
Return flow reduction from districts

58. Pipelines

59. Pipelines Versus Open Chanels

60. Pipelines
Advantages include
• No seepage
• No evaporation
• No water use by phreatophytic plants
• On/off capability with appropriate
valving

61. 2810 km of Pipelines; 630 km Canals Membrane-Lined

62. 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

63. Water savings – reduce evaporation,
seepage, and leaching on-farm

64. Upping Efficiency
of On-Farm Water Application

67. Changes in On-farm Irrigation Systems over 10 Years
Gravity Wheel-move High Pressure Pivots Low Pressure Pivots
2010 145,879 198,043 156,784 802,173
2001 206,956 335,740 223,510 447,710
Change -61,077 -137,697 -66,726 354,463
Water Saved
Inches 7.5 3.5 2 Total
Acre-feet 38,173 40,162 11,121 89,456 (110 M m3)

68. 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)

69. Efficiency Investment Results
• Since 1976, irrigation farmers in districts
irrigate 46% more land and divert 10% less
water.

71. 14.0
12.0
Productivity Index (kg/m3)
10.0
8.0
6.0
4.0
2.0
0.0
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
Year
Increasing productivity of potatoes, sugar beets, and soft white wheat

72. Riparian Health

73. Riparian Health

74. 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

75. 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

76. When you are thirsty,
you find a way to adapt,
and get water