水 和 agriculture are fundamentally connected. So considering the watershed when approaching agricultural sustainability is good practice with myriad benefits.

 

最近，J。.R. Simplot公司, in partnership with other multinational organizations 和 non-profits, completed the first phase of a pilot water stewardship project in the Lake Winnipeg Basin in 曼尼托巴, 加拿大. The Lake Winnipeg Basin (LWB) project is a unique, innovative initiative. It seeks to help farmers succeed in water stewardship by – for the first time – applying global st和ards for valuing water stewardship 和 social impact to measure outcomes from local, 农场用水管理. Simplot owns 和 operates a large potato processing plant in Portage La Prairie, 曼尼托巴, which is just one reason the 公司 felt it important to participate in this one-of-a-kind endeavor.

 

 

The LWB project brought together Simplot 和 three other companies, 两个环保组织, 和 four large-scale farmers to discover the best approach to water stewardship in the area. The four participating farms cover 34,000 acres within the Central Assiniboine 和 Redboine 水sheds, which are sub-areas within the Lake Winnipeg Basin; all grow potatoes for Simplot in addition to other crops, 比如谷物和油籽.

 

在项目的支持下, the growers 和 their agronomists developed comprehensive water stewardship plans in accordance with Alliance for 水 Stewardship’s (AWS) 国际 水 Stewardship St和ard. These plans provided source material for a comprehensive analysis of cropl和 和 edge-of-field water stewardship practices, helping determine which practices drive the most value for

环境, 社区, 和 the value chain.

 

Following water stewardship plan development, EcoMetrics有限责任公司 measured what actions deliver the most value, 以美元计算, 去农场, 环境, 和 the broader community when the plans are put into practice. 研究的结果 indicate that the farms already bring value to the community under current operation. 然而, there is significant additional potential value to be gained by implementing the proposed water stewardship plans.

 

总而言之, the study found that water stewardship efforts will realize the most value if implemented as a combination of:

 

  • 农田管理策略, such as changes in tillage or adoption of precision agriculture technologies or crop rotation
  • 增强了视场边缘, 边际耕地, 比如开发湿地, 篱笆墙, 还有绿地

 

it’s good business,” said Simplot 十大赌博靠谱信誉平台 Director Br和y Wilson. “The results of this project show that taking a watershed-level, partnership approach to agricultural sustainability drives benefit for 环境, 社区, 和 local governments in significant ways that can be measured in dollars,她补充道。. 和 “Simplot has proactively been integrating sustainability for years because it’s the right thing to do

 

The LWB project sets the stage for the agri-food sector to have a replicable, 可伸缩的, 和 sustainable methodology for investing in 和 achieving positive watershed-based outcomes. As the project moves into future phases, the project partners anticipate driving investment to specific actions 和 continuing to measure 和 evaluate outcomes.

 

Participating farmer Chad Berry of Under the Hill Farms shared his perspective on the project 和 its importance. “In the world currently, there’s more 和 more push from the public to have food sustainability. 因此, we are seeing more push from buyers to have us, 农民, participating in programs such as this as a sort of ‘record’ to show what good we are doing. We want to stay ahead of the curve 和 be proactive.”

 

Agriculture dominates the southern portion of the Lake Winnipeg Basin, supplying food for Canadian 和 international markets, 包括谷物, 蔬菜, 乳制品和牲畜.

Simplot is part of this group of producers; Portage is Simplot’s largest food processing plant. It was built in 2003 和 underwent a major expansion in 2019.

 

Simplot relies heavily on growers in 曼尼托巴 to provide raw product to our potato 和 vegetable processing plants. 水是至关重要的, 共享资源, 和 stewardship practices represent an opportunity for producers, 对其他人来说, 像Simplot, who want to support the long-term resilience of the agricultural sector, 社区和自然世界.

 

除了Simplot, the founding partners of the LWB project include Nutrien, 巴斯夫, 通用磨坊, 运算器加拿大, 及水务委员会.