Agricultural water policy in the era of drought

Water availability and regulation are front of mind for many agricultural producers. As climate change brings an era of drought, production challenges are acute while policy and regulation lag, creating unique challenges for farmers and ranchers.

Join this virtual workshop to discuss how water policy and regulations are affecting BC producers and options for improving water management policy. Guest speakers will share regional research findings, the updated mandate of the Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship, and a case-study of farmer-led groundwater management policy in Nevada.

• Dr. Joanne Taylor from the University of British Columbia Okanagan will begin the workshop with findings from interviews with water managers, policymakers and agricultural organization representatives that give an on-the-ground view of the challenges agricultural producers are facing as water regulations are being implemented in the Cariboo and Okanagan.

• James Mack, Assistant Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship (MWLRS) will discuss the mandate of this new ministry, the Water Sustainability Act and how agricultural producers are being considered under the stewardship mandate.

• Jake Tibbitts, Natural Resource Manager for Eureka County, Nevada will share lessons on groundwater conservation policy from agriculture in the Great Basin Desert where the Diamond Valley Groundwater Management Plan is offering a groundbreaking approach to policy conceived by and for agricultural irrigators in Eureka County, Nevada. Reducing water overdraw over several years, the plan has been upheld in the Nevada Supreme Court and represents an alternative approach to conserving regional groundwater and continuing agricultural production.

The workshop will be hosted virtually on zoom with small group discussions to offer participants a chance to share their experiences and ideas for improved water policy that works for agricultural producers.

Speaker and project information

• Dr. Joanne Taylor is a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan in the Department of Economics, Political Science, and Philosophy. She is the lead researcher for a Partnership Development Grant project with Dr. John Janmaat investigating agriculture climate resilience in the Okanagan and Cariboo regions of BC. The project examines how the regulatory environment affects resilience to changes in water supply.

Learn more about the agricultural climate resilience research project

• James Mack is the Assistant Deputy Minister for Water, Fisheries and Coastal Policy and Planning in the Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship. He held previous ADM positions for Environmental Stewardship Policy and Strategic Planning in the Ministry of Environment and for Agriculture and Science Policy in the Ministry of Agriculture. Prior to that, James served as the Head of the BC Climate Action Secretariat.

Learn more about the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship

• Jake Tibbitts is the Natural Resource Manager for Eureka County, Nevada. He manages resource research, monitoring and evaluation programs including water resource monitoring, agricultural use, and rangeland monitoring. He has been involved in planning and implementing policy at local, regional, and state levels, with projects including the novel water conservation strategies such as the Diamond Valley Groundwater Management Plan.

Learn more about how the Diamond Valley Groundwater Management Plan is addressing agricultural water issues