Community Irrigation Systems in the Vanderhoof Area

(2025)

The availability of water to meet agricultural and food security needs, both now and into the future, has become a growing concern for producers in the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako (RDBN). For example, during the 2023 drought there was approximately an 80% drop in hay production and around triple the typical number of cattle were sent to market early due to lack of feed. The reduction in crop yields, often leads to trickle-down effects through the agri-food system, particularly since Vanderhoof forage producers supply feedstock to producers throughout other parts of BC, including dairy producers in the Fraser Valley. For the local forage sector to thrive, a safe and reliable source of water for irrigation must be secured. Producers in the RDBN have expressed an interest in learning how community irrigation systems may be a way to access water to increase the amount of agricultural land under irrigation.

Upland was contracted by the RDBN to assess the feasibility of community irrigation systems for the Vanderhoof area. These collaborative systems are of particular interest because they can help multiple producers share the overhead and the costs incurred to design and build irrigation systems. This producer guide outlines how to collect data and make decisions about the suitability of community irrigation systems, with methods that can be applied across the region.