Climate change has introduced greater uncertainty into farming, and the BC Ministry of Agriculture and Food is stepping up to help with both planning and financial support.
On April 18, 2024, there will be an in-person meeting for farmers in the Cowichan and Koksilah watershed to talk about drought and how the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship makes determinations about drought measures, and how the Ministry of Agriculture and Food is supporting farmers. You can register for this no-cost event by clicking the button below.
However, registration for some of the Ministry’s financial support programs will close on April 19, so farmers in the Cowichan region who are interested in upgrading the water infrastructure on their farms are urged to act quickly!
The Beneficial Management Practices Program – Water Infrastructure program includes the following eligible categories for on-farm improvements:
- Well protection (existing wells)
- Dams and reservoirs – new and existing
- Dugouts – new and existing
- Roof rainwater harvesting systems – new and existing
- Improved irrigation system management and irrigation scheduling
- Irrigation systems – new or upgrade/replacement of existing system
- Improvement of water supply system to farm
- Water meter and other flow measuring devices on farm
The Investment Agriculture Foundation of BC (IAF) will be administering the program. The application window opened April 2, 2024, and will close on April 19, 2024. Full information is available on the IAF website.
The IAF is also administering an Agricultural Water Infrastructure program that supports a more collective approach to addressing the need to invest in water infrastructure that will support the agricultural sector to adapt to climate change. Through the program, primary and Indigenous Producers, conservation groups, water purveyors and Indigenous Communities will have access to cost-shared funding to adapt to climate change by investing in water infrastructure. The goal of this program is to improve water security in agricultural areas and food security in BC. Projects that qualify for this program can include:
- The improvement, rehabilitation, expansion or new construction of water storage systems for farms
- Improvement, expansion or new construction of off-farm conveyance and water supply systems to farms
- Agricultural water supply assessments, engineering studies or plans.
This cost-shared program will re-open in May 2024.
The Province is also offering programs to assist with managing the volatility in farm margins, through their Agri-Stability program, and the risks posed by climate change through crop production insurance. Like all insurance programs, there is an annual fee, but the insurance may offer peace of mind for farmers. More information can be found here.
You can stay up-to-date with Provincial initiatives by subscribing to AgriService BC’s Islands Edition e-newsletter.
