Farmers and communities across British Columbia will have new opportunities to strengthen their resilience to drought, as the province opens the latest intake of the Agriculture Water Infrastructure Program. The initiative supports projects that improve water access, delivery and long-term storage—key needs as climate-driven drought becomes more frequent and severe.
Administered by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C., the program funds upgrades ranging from dam improvements and dugouts to modernized irrigation systems. Since 2023, nearly 700 projects have received support, and this round will add even more producer-led and community-led initiatives.
One significant project is underway at the Douglas Lake Cattle Company’s Gang Ranch, where new water-storage infrastructure is expected to bring an additional 400 hectares of land back into agricultural production. Smaller independent farms, such as Little Valley Farms in Vanderhoof, are using funding to improve their water reliability after years of drought-related herd reductions.
Municipal partners are also involved. The City of Delta will build a second irrigation intake from the Fraser River and upgrade key culverts, increasing water flow to farms in the region’s fertile agricultural zone.
The current application window runs from November 18 to December 18, 2025, and includes two funding streams: producer-level infrastructure upgrades and broader community-driven strategic projects aimed at addressing water shortages and ecosystem pressures.
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