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Improved Technologies and Management Practices in Irrigation—Implications for Water Savings in Southern Alberta

Increased water use efficiency on irrigation farms is viewed as a source of water savings in semi-arid regions like southern Alberta where 71% of consumptive water use is for irrigation purposes. Alberta’s Water for Life strategy, the blueprint for long-term water planning, views increased water use efficiency as essential to improved water management. The present study examines the rate at which water use efficiencies have been, and plan to be increased by employing improved technologies and management practices. Findings from a survey of irrigators reveal that adopting improved technologies has been occurring at a decreasing rate and the rate is likely to continue to decrease in the future. The research indicates that the main reasons why irrigators adopt new technologies are to increase yield, and to save energy and labour costs, with saving water considered significantly less important. Reflecting that irrigators perceive financial constraints as one of the main impediments to invest in further improvements, our results indicate that the level of subsidies or commodity price increases required to convince them to make such investments are considerable. While further processing facilities in the area offer opportunities to grow specialty crops and thereby improve the financial position of irrigators, most specialty crops are high water users, not water savers. Improved water use efficiency could be advanced through greater promotion and education of improved water management practices.