Agricultural Participation in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Canada: Four case studies

This case study report examines agricultural participation in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) across four Canadian watersheds: the Okanagan Basin (BC), Lower Souris River (SK), Yamaska (QC), and Souris River (PEI). It analyzes the drivers and barriers to producer engagement, the institutional structures governing water management, and the resources provided by federal and provincial governments. The report concludes that while financial incentives are a primary driver for adopting beneficial management practices (BMPs), there is a critical need for better integration between high-level IWRM planning and on-the-ground agri-environmental implementation, supported by localized technical extension and consistent monitoring data.

• Agricultural producers in the Okanagan Basin face significant water scarcity and high variability in supply, with projected climate change scenarios suggesting water supply deficiencies could occur in one in three years by 2080.
• In the Okanagan Basin, the Okanagan Basin Water Board (OBWB) operates as a non-regulatory body, using suasion to encourage voluntary participation, which is viewed more favorably by agricultural producers than regulatory mandates.
• The Lower Souris River Watershed in Saskatchewan utilizes an Agri-Environmental Group Farm Planning approach, which has been successful by pooling resources and providing on-farm extension support to reduce administrative burdens for producers.
• In the Yamaska Watershed of Quebec, a 'nested' IWRM approach is employed where the OBV-Yamaska handles strategic planning while sub-basin entities, such as agri-environmental advisory clubs (clubs-conseils), work directly with farmers on implementation.
• The Prime-Vert program in Quebec has seen high farmer uptake due to generous financial incentives, often covering 90 per cent of the costs for implementing beneficial management practices (BMPs).
• In the Souris River Watershed of Prince Edward Island, agricultural participation is driven strongly by social capital, a sense of place, and a genuine passion for environmental stewardship, alongside financial incentives.
• Across the case studies, a recurring barrier to agricultural participation is the decline in direct, on-farm technical extension support from federal and provincial agencies, leaving a void that local watershed organizations must fill.
• There is a systemic lack of integration between high-level IWRM planning and the delivery of agri-environmental BMPs, with the latter often weakly linked to specific watershed priorities.
• The report identifies a critical shortage of locally relevant, high-resolution data (such as LIDAR in Quebec or nitrate data in PEI) necessary for effective farm-level decision-making and monitoring.
• The authors recommend that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) provide 50/50 provincially cost-shared support for the core operations of watershed management organizations to professionalize IWRM capacity.

APA

Roy, D., Oborne, B., Zubrycki, K., Dohan, R., & Venema, H. D. (2011). Agricultural Participation in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Canada: Four case studies. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iwrm_canada_case_studies.pdf

Chicago

Roy, Dimple, Bryan Oborne, Karla Zubrycki, Rosemary Dohan, and Henry David Venema. Agricultural Participation in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Canada: Four case studies. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iwrm_canada_case_studies.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Roy |first1=Dimple |last2=Oborne |first2=Bryan |last3=Zubrycki |first3=Karla |last4=Dohan |first4=Rosemary |last5=Venema |first5=Henry David |title=Agricultural Participation in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Canada: Four case studies |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=April 2011 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iwrm_canada_case_studies.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{roy2011agricultural, author = {Roy, Dimple and Oborne, Bryan and Zubrycki, Karla and Dohan, Rosemary and Venema, Henry David}, title = {{Agricultural Participation in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) in Canada: Four case studies}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iwrm_canada_case_studies.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }