Southern Ontario’s water resources face combined pressure from human population growth and a changing climate that may bring drought events. Agricultural adaptation measures can play a role in water budgets. This research looked at the role of population growth and drought events on the water usage in and around Ontario’s Greenbelt. Additionally, agricultural adaptation measures were modeled to explore impacts and the cost benefit of these measures.
Water use will increase with population and saving mechanisms are required, one advantage for the Greenbelt is its large area, which if refrained from development can help recharge groundwater.
Co-benefits and highlights of this research:
- Water use will increase with population and saving mechanisms are required, one advantage for the Greenbelt is its large area, which if refrained from development can help recharge groundwater even if it is undergoing agricultural production (e.g., corn, soy, and wheat).
- While the bulk of agricultural water use is for fruit and vegetable crops, large non-irrigated areas play a critical role in the water system as they offer opportunities for groundwater recharge.
- Modeled population growth also increases water use, leading to a 32-64% increase in water use
- Hamilton and Brant have the highest total water use with 8.65 and 8.13 million m3/year, respectively. These two subdivisions contain the highest area of fruits and vegetables in the study area.
- Under Baseline conditions, there were 973 locations where soil health practices improved production for a total net benefit of $7.0 million.
Read the full working paper below:
