B.C. to provide $80 million to help farmers cope with drought

Rancher Werner Stump said spring is usually a “season of optimism” for farmers in British Columbia, but worries linger after unprecedented drought last year and another dry season looming.

“I’d say that there is the normal spring enthusiasm, but in the back of our minds, we’re still concerned about how this year is going to play out with respect to water,” Stump, who is also vice-president of the BC Cattleman’s Association, told a news conference Monday.

He said that is why farmers in B.C. are grateful to learn the provincial government is investing $80 million to help them manage, collect and store water for crops and livestock. 

“Without water for agriculture, the Agriculture Land Reserve is practically meaningless,” he said, referring to zones in B.C. designated and protected specifically for agricultural use. 

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He said production at his ranch in the Shuswap region was impacted substantially by the drought last year. 

Premier David Eby made the funding announcement Monday while inside a bell pepper greenhouse in Delta, B.C., saying this summer’s drought may be even worse than last year as snow levels remain “remarkably” low.

He said climate change-related events, particularly drought, make it tough for farmers to secure enough water for animals, feed and crops, which makes grocery prices soar. 

Ray Vanmarrewyk is the co-owner of Westcoast Vegetables — the pepper greenhouse that Eby visited.

He says water is the foundation to life, and something his farm can’t live without.

“We have 55 acres of green houses, and we grow 7,000 tonnes of peppers on an annual basis,” he said. “The last few years have been challenging -the heat dome a few years ago and the last summers have been very long and dry.”

The funding will be distributed through the Agricultural Water Infrastructure Program to help make irrigation more efficient and to build infrastructure to improve water availability and storage. 

The program was launched last year with a $20-million contribution for 108 water-storage projects, including building agricultural dams and dugouts to improve water-supply systems for irrigation and livestock.

The province said the funding expansion should benefit hundreds more farmers as they prepare for another potential drought, while it improves stream flows and fish populations. 

Eby said the cost of failing to act to counter climate change to support farmers is huge and accumulating. 

“We can’t sit by and let our farmers struggle with a lack of water or a lack of money to replant those fruit trees and those fruit plants and those vines that drive so many critical infrastructures with varieties that can survive rapid temperature swings that we’ve seen,” Eby told the conference.

“So, we have to take action for our farmers. If we don’t, we are going to be very hungry in British Columbia.”

Vanmarrewyk, who also sits on the board of the BC Agriculture Council, says the drought cost him 10 per cent of his crop, and the money from the province will help with long-term water infrastructure investments.

“I’m not sure this money will help us all in this year, it’s really a long-term strategy,” he said.

“I think this is a good step in the (right) direction, but it will take significant dollars to fix and ensure security of water for farmers in B.C.”

Farmers can apply for funding starting next month. 

With files from Cecilia Hua.