Water use in Canadian agriculture

This fact sheet provides a brief overview of irrigation and water stress in Canadian agriculture, highlighting the scale of water use and the risks posed by climate change.

• Out of 64 million hectares of farming operations in Canada, approximately 11% are irrigated.
• Climate change is expected to cause water shortages, droughts, and water stress for crops, citing the severe droughts in the Prairies during the summer of 2021 as an example.
• The volume of water used for crop irrigation by farmers in 2018 was equivalent to the amount of water that normally flows over Niagara Falls over a period of two weeks.
• While irrigation is a tool, the document states that collaborative planning for water management and water conservation will be critical as water demand rises.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). Water use in Canadian agriculture. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-12/sustainable-food-systems-water-use.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Water use in Canadian agriculture. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-12/sustainable-food-systems-water-use.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Water use in Canadian agriculture |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-12/sustainable-food-systems-water-use.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndwater, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Water use in Canadian agriculture}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-12/sustainable-food-systems-water-use.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }