UNews - Department of Economics

uLethbridge Agri-Food Summer Series bringing research and industry together

trevor.kenney — Wed, 23 Jun 2021 19:52:15 +0000

Big ideas are growing in southern Alberta, and it’s one of the reasons the area is one of the world’s most important agricultural zones. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and area producers are looking to ensure ideas continue to germinate with the launch of the uLethbridge Agri-Food Summer Series conversations.

Each month, the uLethbridge Agri-Food Summer Series will bring producers and researchers together to discuss topics related to southern Alberta’s agriculture industry. It’s an opportunity to hear from the people who know this industry inside and out as they generate ideas and push the boundaries of agricultural potential in southern Alberta.

“We’re really excited to launch this series of conversations and showcase some of the active partnerships that are driving innovation in the agriculture industry and helping to solve some of the most pressing issues facing our producers,” says Dr. Danny LeRoy, associate professor of economics in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Faculty of Arts & Science. “It’s also an opportunity to spur new conversations and relationships between the U of L and the agriculture industry.”

The five-part series will kick off virtually on the Zoom platform on Tuesday, June 29 at 5:30 p.m. with Can we save the planet by directing cattle feed to people? The conversation features U of L researcher Dr. Kim Stanford, who grew up on a family farm in the Spring Coulee area before embarking on a career in the research industry that led her to work with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and eventually the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. She will be joined by Leighton Kolk, who, along with his wife and three adult children, own and operate Kolk Farms Ltd., which is focused on finishing cattle, raising irrigated crops, selling cereal seeds and striving for efficiencies and sustainability in these areas of agriculture.

Climate experts are calling for less meat in our diet to ensure the future viability of the planet, claiming cattle are taking valuable resources away from people and increasing greenhouse gas emissions in the process. But is that the full story? The conversation will focus on how southern Alberta producers are balancing the health of the planet with the important role animal agriculture plays in feeding the growing population.

Le Roy will moderate the discussion and, following the talk, the panel will take questions from listeners, highlighting industry developments, advances in research, and how we as a community can come together to tackle issues faced by southern Alberta cattle producers.

Bev Thornton, executive director for Alberta SouthWest Regional Alliance, which is supporting the series in partnership with SouthGrow, says the talks will highlight the value of industry and research collaborations.

“This Summer Speaker Series enhances the Alberta SouthWest Energizing Agricultural Transformation (EAT) project and the work of SouthGrow, Canada’s Premier Food Corridor (CPFC), and all the partners in the Regional Innovation Network of Southern Alberta (RINSA). Exciting innovations can be sparked by connecting outstanding research programs with the real-world agricultural industry in our regions.”

LeRoy adds the goal of organizers is to eventually bring people together to further solidify working relationships.

“While this first talk will be virtual, we are hoping as COVID-19 restrictions continue to ease, we will be able to present some in-person events as well,” says LeRoy. “We just want to make these conversations available to as many people as possible and hopefully it will spur further collaborations.”

To learn more about the uLethbridge Agri-Food Summer Series, visit the website and attend the first event.

Further scheduled events are as follows:

July — Crops & Irrigation
Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Dr. Tom Jensen
Autumn Barnes (BSc ’09) | Canola Council

August — Pollinators
Tuesday, Aiugust 31, 2021
Dr. Shelley Hoover
Alberta Beekeeper Commission Board representative

September — GIS/Smart Farming
Tuesday, September 28, 2021
Dr. Craig Coburn
Remi Schmaltz (BMgt ’06) | Decisive Farming

October — Agriculture Economics
Tuesday, October 26, 2021
Dr. Mehdi Jourabchi
Producer Panelist TBD

Examining the impact of Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils

caroline.zentner — Wed, 16 Jun 2021 15:25:38 +0000

A first-of-its-kind ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge study has found that the effectiveness of Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils in enhancing land stewardship and water management is closely link to how well they are connected to and engaged with municipal governments.

Alberta’s Water for Life strategy, launched in 2003, provided a blueprint for managing the province’s water resources and paved the way for the establishment of 11 Watershed Planning and Advisory Councils (WPACs), each representing a major river basin. WPACs are independent, non-profit organizations responsible for planning at the watershed or basin level. They report on watershed health and lead collaborative planning among their stakeholders, which include municipal governments.

“Because municipal governments have a significant bearing on the management of land and water, they play a crucial role in the WPACs’ ability to fulfill their mandate,” says Dr. Lorraine Nicol (MA '05, PhD '13), senior research associate in the Department of Economics at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. “An effective working relationship between WPACs and municipalities is vital. However, no one has evaluated the impact of WPAC initiatives on municipal land and water management and planning.”

Nicol and her husband, Dr. Chris Nicol, professor of economics, conducted a study to determine the effectiveness of WPAC initiatives, identify barriers and develop recommendations. With funding from the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, they conducted a study which looked at four WPACs — Battle River Watershed Alliance, Milk River Watershed Council Canada, North Saskatchewan Watershed Alliance and Oldman Watershed Council — and surveyed the municipalities located within these watersheds.

Results show municipalities have relatively high levels of awareness of WPACs and their work, and over 80 per cent of survey respondents felt it was important their municipality work with their WPAC. They reported the greatest benefits of working with a WPAC were increases in knowledge, awareness, education, expertise and information. Some municipalities reported a lack of awareness of WPAC planning exercises and the results were mixed in terms of impact on municipalities in making more informed decisions and developing statutory documents.

“WPACs are making an impact, but the degree of impact varied from a high of 69 per cent to a low of 41 per cent, depending on the WPAC,” says Chris.

In general, the percentage of those surveyed who said WPACs increased awareness for municipalities in broad subject areas — such as the relationship between land-use planning and watershed health and water quality and quantity — varied between 80 per cent and 40 per cent.

“These mixed results point to the degree of effectiveness of WPAC communications with municipalities,” says Lorraine. “For some councils, poor communications are limiting the full benefit of information sharing and expertise on land and water management and planning. While WPACs have a lot to offer, not all municipalities are maximizing the benefits.”

Municipalities identified making connections, engaging and communicating as the greatest challenges and they most often recommended increasing engagement through presentations to decision makers, either in person or virtually to allow multiple municipalities to attend. WPACs can also collaborate together in communicating with municipalities, especially about government initiatives or policies that affect all watershed.

“In the end, improving the effectiveness of WPACs will enhance land stewardship and water management for sustainable communities, which affects property values and impacts all citizens,” says Chris.

Economic health of new Canadian Premier League based on groundwork from Rockerbie

trevor.kenney — Thu, 13 Jun 2019 21:56:55 +0000

As the Canadian Premier League — Canada’s new Division II professional soccer circuit — continues to gather momentum in its inaugural season, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge economics professor Dr. Duane Rockerbie is justifiably proud of its success.

Dr. Duane Rockerbie was in on the ground floor when the Canadian Premier League began to form.

Rockerbie has been researching the economics of sport for the better part of two decades and in 2010, began working on the first of two reports for the Canadian Soccer Association to provide an economic analysis of the feasibility of a new Division II soccer league for the country. Working with former Canadian national team and professional player James Easton (now the Vice-President of Football Operations for the CPL), the reports laid the groundwork for the formation of the league and charted a path to economic success.

“Maybe the most important aspect of it was finding the right investors,” says Rockerbie. “The owners they have are very committed. Some of them already own Canadian Football League teams, so they are not inexperienced people in this realm and that’s what was needed, people with good credentials. They also have a 10-year commitment to the league, even if they lose money, they are in it for 10 years.”

Focusing less on startup and more on longevity, Rockerbie says the CPL did the right thing in carefully plotting out its game plan.

“The interesting thing with this league is we developed a model for them to use, complete with potential revenue sources,” he says. “What happens so often in start-up leagues is they focus on the cost side of running the league because that is something they can control, and the revenue side they ignore.”

The initial report (which was presented to the CSA in 2012) focused on the feasibility of a league, and included recommendations to appeal to FIFA (the international governing body of soccer) for a men’s World Cup to be played in North America (it was awarded jointly to Canada, the United States and Mexico in 2026). The follow-up 2016 report narrowed in on the nuts and bolts of how the league would operate.

One of the big recommendations was to create two connected but distinct arms, a soccer league (CPL) and the Canadian Soccer Business (CSB). The business is the rights-holder to all the league’s marketable assets such as media rights, apparel, logos and so forth.

“Each investor is a shareholder in the CSB and they can take a dividend from it every year or they can leave it in and reinvest it,” says Rockerbie.

And while the CPL was established more than two years ago, the first games were played just this spring. Currently, the CPL’s top franchise is Cavalry FC in Calgary, where Lethbridge products Nik Ledgerwood and Nico Pasquotti are playing.

“That’s the key thing, to get it right,” he says. “So often, what these startup leagues want to do is play games and they think people will just show up. When they don’t, you fail. For every league that exists in the world now, there are dozens and dozens that have failed very quickly.”

A 10-year media rights deal is in place with MEDIAPRO (one of the largest soccer media distributors in the world), while major sponsors such as NIKE, Volkswagen and WestJet are also on board. The WestJet deal is integral to the league’s survival as it provides economical travel for teams across the country.

From the specific locations of its seven initial franchises to salary-cap structure, player dispersal, living allowances, playing venues and marketing strategies, Rockerbie and Easton detailed every aspect essential to league survival — and it’s working. The great benefit is a massive development gap in Canadian soccer is now being filled, allowing players who graduate from the U-17 ranks to continue playing and advancing their games on home soil.

Rockerbie says that only a steadfast and focused investor group could make their recommendations come to life.

“Their commitment is such a big thing — they understand that they may have to absorb losses in the short-term. All the owners have other business ventures so they can use those businesses to subsidize losses, but I’ve got a feeling they are not going to have many. These people are in it for the duration and FIFA is behind them, so they are not in it on their own,” he says. “We stressed, if you just want to make profit, don’t do it, because Canada is not a huge market. You have to do it because you are committed to it and you want to build it slowly. The focus has always been on developing Canadian players.”

The long-term goal will be realized when the Canadian national team takes to the pitch in 2026, and where the fruits of their labours hopefully become evident.

PUBlic Professor Series talk explores the building blocks of African development

trevor.kenney — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 21:34:07 +0000

African development efforts have gone through sharp turns and twists since the dawn of independence in the late 1950s. Lessons from analyzing these efforts point to the reorientation of the incentive structures for politicians, business elites and the electorates, as the critical pillar among the building blocks of Africa’s development.

On Thursday, January 24, ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge economics professor Dr. Alexander Darku will present The Building Blocks of Africa's Development: Resources, Politics and Economics. This is the fourth talk of the 2018/19 season for the Faculty of Arts & Science’s PUBlic Professor Series. The free event runs from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Sandman Signature Lethbridge Lodge and is open to the public.

In this presentation, Darku will critically analyze the factors that have driven Africa’s growth and development through its resources, political and economic building blocks in three different periods. The first period (1957-1965) marks the early sweep of independence and the ascendency to political leadership of nationalistic figures (the great enthusiasm and foundation era). The second period (1966-early 1980s) witnessed the second wave of independence and the emergence of military coup d’état to depose the nationalistic leaders who supposedly had become power drunk and destructive to nation building efforts (the transition and derailment of nation building era). The third period (early 1980s-present) is the policy and program realignment era, where the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank took centre stage of economic policy formulation and implementation through the Stabilization and Structural Adjustment Programs.

Dr. Alexander Darku is an associate professor of economics at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and an associate director of the Prentice Institute for Global Population and the Economy. Darku has two main lines of research. The first focuses on the relationship between international trade, economic growth and income distribution, in the developing countries. The second focuses on the relationship between business cycles, poverty and income inequality. In addition to numerous articles in international peer review journals, and background papers to policy documents at the World Bank, Darku is also the author of three books.

Further talks scheduled for 2018/19 feature Dr. Tom Johnston (geography) and Dr. Hester Jiskoot (geography). Details on each of their presentations can be found at: ulethbridge.ca/artsci/publicprofessor.

U of L study the first to examine the use of precision agriculture in irrigation farming in Alberta

caroline.zentner — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 15:22:52 +0000

Given the importance of irrigation to the southern Alberta economy, two ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge economists wanted to know if agricultural producers who irrigate are using precision agriculture technologies.

Dr. Lorraine Nicol

Drs. Lorraine (MA '05, PhD '13) and Chris Nicol have conducted the first study in Alberta examining the adoption of precision agriculture in irrigation farming. Their survey shows users are reducing farm inputs and seeing positive economic benefits as a result.

Last fall, they conducted a survey of irrigators in the Taber Irrigation District (TID) to find out the extent to which precision agriculture technologies are being adopted, the types of tools being used and the satisfaction with the technologies. They also looked at those who didn’t use precision agriculture technologies and their reasons for not adopting. Twenty-seven per cent of irrigators in the TID participated in the survey.

“Based on the data collected, 81 per cent of irrigators have adopted some form of precision agriculture, at an average of five technologies per irrigator. Overall, those who have adopted are very satisfied with the technologies and almost all plan on using even more technologies in the future,” says Lorraine. “Among non-adopters, most said their operations were too small to justify the high investment costs.”

Dr. Chris Nicol

Precision agriculture involves parsing fields into small parcels based on variability, allowing more precise application of irrigation water, fertilizer, chemicals and seed compared to conventional methods. The study identified 20 technologies including auto-steering equipment, variable rate fertilizer and irrigation application, soil-moisture monitoring, terrain mapping and analysis, unmanned aerial vehicle mapping, satellite imagery and various data management tools, for example.

“Precision agriculture has fundamentally changed the way farming is done and it has the potential to reduce costs and increase profits for farmers. Precision agriculture is also critical for sustainable agriculture. Using less fertilizer and less irrigation water, for example, helps lessen run-off and conserve water, so it’s also better for the environment,” says Chris.

The TID, one of 13 irrigation districts in the region, has one of the highest concentrations of specialty crops, including potatoes, sugar beets, canola seed, beans, peas, corn, sunflowers and onions. These inputs are vital to processing industries as well as the confined feedlot industry in the region. The TID consists of 115 to 120 irrigation producers who irrigate more than 80,000 acres. Its irrigation infrastructure also supplies water to several communities and many individuals.

The survey showed that, under precision agriculture, crop yields have increased an average 20 per cent and yearly crop quality has increased by an average of 16 per cent. Yearly reductions in irrigation water, fertilizer, herbicides and pesticides have ranged between 14 and 24 per cent.

Non-adopters consist entirely of farms of less than 2,000 acres. Those irrigators generally cited the smaller size of their operations, high investment costs and incompatibility of machines as the main reasons for not adopting.

“These results suggest irrigators are embracing precision agriculture and experiencing the benefits,” says Lorraine. “This also has positive implications for economic and community development, as well as environmental stewardship.”

The study was funded by a grant from the Alberta Real Estate Foundation. The full paper can be viewed here.

Big Thinking About Small Farms

david.kirby — Fri, 16 May 2014 15:34:41 +0000

In January, Lydia Ryall (BSc ’06) was named the 2014 British Columbia and Yukon Outstanding Young Farmer. The honour recognizes farmers aged 40 and under who derive at least two-thirds of their income from farming. Nominees are evaluated on, among many things, their conservation activities, financial and management practices, production history and contributions to the community. As a regional winner, Ryall, 29, will travel to Quebec City this fall to compete for the title of Canada’s Outstanding Young Farmer.

“I believe that we’re stewards of the land. I want my farm to work with nature as much as possible.” - Lydia Ryall

Ryall’s passion for farming took root when she was just a child. A third-generation farmer whose parents owned a greenhouse operation, Ryall regularly heard about the agricultural industry during dinner-table conversations. Today, she owns and operates Cropthorne Farm, a four-hectare, certified organic farm on Westham Island, close to Ladner, B.C. Working alongside older sister Rachel, Ryall also employs two full-time, year-round employees and three full-time seasonal employees. Together, they grow more than 50 types of vegetables, everything from arugula to zucchini. In addition, eggs are provided by the farm’s 100 free-range hens.

In the five years since Ryall started Cropthorne, she has become known for her commitment to conservation, farmland preservation and alternative pest-management practices. For example, to protect her plants and prevent insect damage, Ryall uses sprays that are organically approved and a lightweight fabric called a floating row cover.

“I believe that we’re stewards of the land,” says Ryall. “I want my farm to work with nature as much as possible.”

Using the tagline “Real. Good. Honest. Food.” Cropthorne’s products are sold at local farmers’ markets, to nearby restaurants and through a seasonal farm stand. Cropthorne also runs its own 90-member Community Supported Agriculture Box program. But just because Ryall uses social media to connect with customers and directly sells to local buyers doesn’t mean her business concerns are any different from those who run larger, more conventional operations.

“Small farms want to make money, too,” she says. “Growing food is the easy part. We also deal with debt, manage millions of dollars in cash flow, market our products and handle staffing issues.”

Ryall credits the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge for teaching her about the complexities of modern farming. The only liberal arts university in Canada to offer an Agricultural Studies program, the U of L helps aspiring agriculturalists gain an in-depth understanding of contemporary farming and ranching activities through hands-on learning and courses in such diverse subject areas as biological sciences, economics and geography.

“The U of L taught me to become a lifelong learner and how to network within my industry,” says Ryall, who frequently attends agricultural conferences to stay on top of new developments in her field. She is also director of the Delta Farmers’ Institute, is involved with the Lower Mainland Horticulture Improvement Association and serves on a local agricultural advisory committee.

“I think about what I can do in my own corner of the world to make positive change,” says Ryall. “There’s a lot of stress involved in farming. Every year brings different challenges. But being a farmer is also very rewarding.”

This story appears in the Spring 2014 edition of SAM. For a look at the full magazine in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Collaborative effort leads to win in Agribusiness Case Competition

trevor.kenney — Wed, 16 Apr 2014 20:51:03 +0000

An interdisciplinary group of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge students showcased their problem solving and presentation skills recently, earning first place at the 3rd Annual International Agribusiness Case Competition held at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Guelph.

The team of (L toR) Rebecca Joseph, Phyllis MacCallum, Lara de Moissac and Monica Gorham now sets its sights on Cape Town, South Africa in June.

Monica Gorham (Management, Calgary, Alta.), Rebecca Joseph (Agriculture Studies, Lamont, Alta.), Phyllis MacCallum (Agriculture Studies, Vankleek Hill, Ont.) and Lara de Moissac (Agriculture Studies, Edmonton, Alta.) were presented with a case study that proposed using insects as a fourth protein source for both human consumption and livestock feed given the global issues of population increase combined with declining water and land resources.

“These competitions give students the opportunity to apply their skills to real-world problems facing the agribusiness industry, which spans agricultural input industries to food retailing,” says Dr. Danny Le Roy, coordinator of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s Agriculture Studies program and Chair of the Department of Economics. “The competition involves analyzing and presenting a case study which incorporates the complexities of food systems, corporate responsibility and sustainable solutions relevant in the global agribusiness environment. In addition to the competition itself, it is also a great networking opportunity for students and faculty members who have an interest in the business of food."

Students were given five hours to deliberate on and then solve the case for presentation to a panel of judges. They were tasked with analyzing the presented problem and implementing a sustainable plan for the future. Their 15 to 18 minute presentation to judges also included fielding questions from the panel.

The top teams from the preliminary round were then given further information on the case, asked to adjust their proposals and then present for 22-25 minutes to a new set of judges.

“To finish first overall was amazing and it’s given us the opportunity to now travel to Cape Town, South Africa (June 16-19, 2014) for another case competition sponsored by the International Food and Agribusiness Management Association,” says Gorham. “Not only did this case improve my academic knowledge but it has opened up doors for the future.”

It was the first time a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge team had taken an interdisciplinary approach to the competition, sending students from both the Faculties of Management and Arts & Science.

“This competition really showed that when two Faculties at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge work together, not only does this provide a great opportunity for students, it benchmarks success that can be duplicated in many collaborative areas in the future,” says Dan Kazakoff, director of Theory Into Practice Programs and the Chair of the Small Business Institute Advisory Council in the Faculty of Management. “These students were amazing.”

Dow Agrosciences Canada Inc. provided funding support for the team and its journey to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Guelph.

Nicol appointed ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Librarian

trevor.kenney — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 16:11:57 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge has named Dr. Christopher J. Nicol as its new ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Librarian, an appointment that took effect on July 1, 2013.

Nicol, the former Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science, had been serving as Acting ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Librarian since Sept. 1, 2012. He took that position in the wake of former ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Librarian Alison Nussbaumer's move to the role of Interim Dean, Internationalization.

"Chris Nicol's service to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as Dean of Arts and Science has been both remarkable and exemplary," says Bob Boudreau, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ's Vice Provost. "His contributions in advancing the Faculty of Arts and Science will be felt for years to come. Building on this legacy, we are absolutely thrilled that Chris will continue to serve and lead the U of L in his new role of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Librarian."

A native of Scotland, Nicol earned his master's and PhD in economics at Queen's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Kingston, Ont., before spending 16 years as a professor of economics at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Regina. He arrived on the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge campus in 2001 and assumed his duties as a professor in economics while also serving as the Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Science. He will continue on as a professor of economics in the Department of Economics while serving as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Librarian.

An esteemed researcher, Nicol's interests are in econometrics, applied econometrics and the theory of consumer behaviour. He is also keenly interested in macroeconomic policy debates, especially those arising in the wake of the financial crisis of 2008.

Nicol is also an accomplished swimmer, having competed internationally and at the post-secondary level for Queen's ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. In 1985, Nicol won both the 100-metre and 200-metre breaststroke events at the inaugural World Masters Games in Toronto.

Addressing water resource demands

trevor.kenney — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:18:33 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is a leader in the areas of water research, and it's not only the Alberta Water and Environmental Sciences Building at the forefront of discovery.

The Department of Economics also studies topics related to water resource. Thursday, the Department of Economics Seminar Series features Willamette ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ professor, Donald H. Negri, as he presents, Water and Land Allocations in Federally Financed Water Supply Districts.

For more than two decades water resource economists have been heralding the increasing scarcity of water, particularly in the American west. Urban growth, environmental and recreational water values, and Native American water claims have all contributed to substantially increasing the demands for water. Over the same period, opportunities for large-scale expansion of water supplies to meet the emerging demand have faded, and multi-year droughts have occurred in several large regions. Inevitably, increasing demands and static supplies have intensified competition, provoked crises and, in some instances, produced hostile confrontation and violence. And all indications are that the future holds much of the same.

Without the prospect of supplemental supplies, conflicting demands for existing supplies must be met through conservation and reallocation. Since agriculture consumes the lion's share of freshwater resources, addressing water crises and resolving conflicting demands will inevitably curtail agriculture's share. This research is concerned with the impact of reduced water allocations on agricultural lands. How will this affect agricultural production and land use? This presentation will address these questions through the application of economic modeling, empirical estimation and policy simulation.

The seminar takes place Thursday, Sept. 24 at 12:15 p.m. in room E690.

The tricky relationship between farming and water

trevor.kenney — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 20:44:50 +0000

It's a staggering statistic: more than 70 per cent of southern Alberta's water consumption is used to irrigate farmers' fields.

But even as water issues are coming into the fore, farmers' water choices are still being made independently, as government hasn't stepped in to regulate water use, explains Dr. Kurt Klein, a professor in the U of L's Department of Economics. The agricultural economist and former farmer says this might change when water becomes more scarce. There's also a strong need to understand how to balance farmers' business interests with the protection of the resource before tough choices need to be made.

Klein has done extensive work on bioproduct-based economies and trade partnerships. In 2003, he earned one of the largest Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grants in the U of L's history ($650,000). In recent years, he's turned his attention to water issues and says understanding the economy of water is crucial to planning for the future.

Unlike countries such as Australia and the United States, there's been little research done in Canada on how to use economic instruments (like subsidies and taxes) to motivate farmers to use water in more efficient ways, without harming their ability to make a living. Because agricultural enterprises have such a narrow profit margin and are susceptible to both environmental and market changes, it's crucial to make well-informed policy decisions.

"At the heart of this is the profitability of agriculture," says Klein.

Dr. Klein and his colleagues, Drs. Henning Bjornlund and Ruth Grant Kalischuk, are working to fill this gap in the literature. They're contributing to a study examining some of the sociological factors underlying how water is used on livestock farms in southern Alberta.

Bjornlund, a professor in the U of L's Department of Economics and a Canada Research Chair (Water and the Economy - International), has done extensive work on water management both in Australia and Alberta. Much of his recent work has focused on the Government of Alberta's new Water for Life strategy, which seeks to strike a better balance between environmental and human needs.

He explains that this study of livestock farmers, which began in 2006, explores the environmental and public health issues associated with water use on farms, how farmers decide to allocate water and deal with wastewater issues, and how surrounding communities perceive livestock operations.

Bjornlund and his associates are collecting data via surveys and focus groups with farming families and residents in surrounding communities. So far, data reveals that farming families are quite concerned about the operations' impact on human health.

This doesn't come as a surprise to Grant Kalischuk, who is a nurse researcher within the School of Health Sciences.

"They were aware of the impacts of the huge farming industry in Alberta and realized that there's a huge runoff from manure and urine," she explains, adding that most people surveyed feel that the livestock industry is generally associated with the degradation of the area's water supplies.

Grant Kalischuk says the solutions to health-related water issues require understanding the viewpoints of an entire community.

This research program provides one example of the multidisciplinary research currently taking place at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge. Drs. Klein, Bjornlund and Grant Kalischuk believe that their collaborative efforts will improve our knowledge base about the tricky relationship between farming and water use.

"Through our multidisciplinary approach, we are endeavouring to create a more comprehensive picture," Grant Kalischuk says.

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