Call for water management project funding applications

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

by MATT MCINTOSH

A program that proved to be popular with farmers for helping with soil moisture monitoring efforts returns again this year.

The provincial/federal water adaptation management and quality initiative is now accepting project applications.

Available as part of Growing Forward 2 and administered by Farm Food Care Ontario, the initiative will give farmers 40 to 100 per cent of eligible costs – to a maximum of $70,000 – for projects that “showcase innovative technologies and solutions for agricultural water conservation,” it says in a joint government and industry press release on Tuesday.

The funding will help farmers manage the impacts of climate change, address water supply issues, and improve water quality through nutrient management, the release says.

“This year’s initiative is kind of a follow-up to 2013’s Water Resource Adaptation and Management Initiative,” says Micah Shearer-Kudel, environmental coordinator for Farm and Food Care Ontario.

“We received a lot of good data from the 2013 program, and this year we are expanding on that by focusing on nutrient management as well.”

Shearer-Kudel says one of the best examples of how last year’s initiative helped farmers was the popularity and effectiveness of soil moisture monitoring projects.

“The monitoring projects pointed out that some producers were irrigating too much, and others not enough for optimal; more specific soil analysis helped a lot of producers optimize their water use,” he says.

Farmers interested in applying for funding must do so by Tuesday, March 4. Application forms can be found on the Farm and Food Care website.

On March 6, Farm Food Care and the University of Guelph will host a symposium featuring the results and challenges of projects developed under last year’s program and the presentation of two new wastewater treatment solutions. The day-long event takes place at the Holiday Inn in Guelph. BF