Saskatchewan hosts International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage conference
By Kate Ayers
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Experts from around the globe gather in Saskatoon this week for the 2018 annual conference of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage to discuss water usage for sustainable agriculture.
The Government of Canada is supporting this conference through a $15,000 investment from the Western Diversification Program, a Western Economic Diversification Canada release said on Monday.
The conference’s theme is “Innovation and Sustainable Agri-water Management: Adapting to a Variable and Changing Climate.”
Delegates from over 40 countries will focus on water management in the face of climate change, the release said.
“Water supply is critical to farming, particularly as moisture patterns change in response to climate change,” Rhonda Laing, director of policy, planning and external relations for Western Economic Diversification Canada, said to Farms.com in an email statement today.
“The knowledge and best practices shared during the conference’s technical sessions can help producers learn about water use efficiency and practices used in other parts of the world.”
Topics they learn at “the conference could be applied by (producers) to increase the sustainability of their operations,” she added.
Conference attendees will participate in sessions and workshops surrounding water resource management. They will also visit Saskatchewan farms, the release said.
“The conference tours highlight innovative and adaptive irrigation and drainage management, and the cultural diversity across the Canadian Prairie landscape,” Laing said.
Delegates will experience “Gardiner Dam and the Canada-Saskatchewan Irrigation Diversification Centre in Outlook, tours of local berry farms that use irrigation, agricultural research facilities and more.”
The conference is organized by the Canadian Water Resources Association and the Canadian Committee for Irrigation and Drainage.
This year is the 69th edition of the conference, which runs until today.
“This conference showcases Western Canada's water management infrastructure, science and academic institutions and food production systems, while providing Canadian scientists, engineers, policy specialists, producers, industry representatives and sector specialists with an opportunity to share and exchange scientific and technical information on the world stage,” Laing said.
UPDATED: Aug. 17, 2018
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