Climate change may force irrigation on P.E.I. potato farmers, says researcher

Irrigation is relatively uncommon on P.E.I. farms, but that may have to change if Island farmers want to continue to grow potatoes, says Xander Wang, director of the Climate Smart Lab at UPEI.

P.E.I. gets a lot of precipitation compared to, for example, the prairie provinces, said Wang. But climate change is already having an impact on when that precipitation is falling, and that's important.

"The seasonality of the precipitation is changing, particularly in summer months," said Wang.

"August, that is basically the most important month for potatoes to grow but what we have seen in the most recent decades is in summer, like in August, we are getting on average more drier."

Xander looked at a range of scenarios to determine how these seasonal changes could impact potato yields. He found even on the lower end of climate change, assuming strong action on greenhouse gas emissions, yields will likely fall five to 10 per cent in the next 50 years.

On the higher end, assuming business as usual, yields could be cut in half.

20-year moratorium lifted

In any scenario, farmers are going to have to reconsider their operations, said Wang.

"Looking at some potential adaptation measures is very important for all the potato farmers in P.E.I., to really look forward," he said.

Agricultural irrigation has been a controversial topic on P.E.I., with some questioning whether P.E.I. has the capacity in its groundwater aquifers to support it.

In 2002 the provincial government placed a moratorium on the drilling of high-capacity wells for agricultural irrigation. Wells could be drilled for other purposes, such as for factories or irrigating golf courses.

That moratorium was in place for 20 years.

It was lifted in 2022 with the introduction of a new Water Act. That act allows an industry to apply for a high-capacity well, and established a system for transparency in where wells are and how much water is being drawn.