Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Agriculture is the world's largest industry, employing over 1 billion people and generating a global value exceeding USD $3.6 trillion in 2020. Water resources are at the core of sustainable development and are critical for healthy agricultural ecosystems. The increasing frequency of floods and droughts due to climate change continues to alter the availability, cycling, and quality of water. Adapting to increasing climate variability will require tools and strategies to reduce vulnerability and improve the resilience of agricultural and agri-food systems. This calls for hydrological research identifying mechanisms by which soils store and release water, partition precipitation, and retain or release nutrients and contaminants. Understanding the dominant controls of soil water storage in the Canadian Prairies will allow for better management of an already limited amount of water for production and enhance adaptation to drought and floods. The need for sustainable agricultural practices to best manage water resources is profoundly urgent, as global demand for agricultural commodities is rapidly rising to meet the food and nutritional needs of the world’s growing population. Dr. He’s proposed Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Water Resource Management for Sustainable Agriculture will address many of the most critical issues limiting our understanding of how precipitation is partitioned and impacts agricultural lands. The CRC will serve as a catalyst for new theory, tools, techniques, and best agricultural management practices. The CRC’s research program will examine the long-term impacts of agricultural water on hydrological processes on farm and across regions. It will examine how land use affects soil water storage, and what the implications are for runoff and erosion risk, snowmelt, water redistribution and infiltration, flood and drought hazards, and wetland services. Through soil studies, the development and application of water flow sensors, and field trials, the program aims to: 1. Develop technology (multifunctional sensors) and advance theory to help uncover the mechanisms of water and heat flow in frozen soils to devise ways to increase snowmelt water infiltration into croplands during freeze-thaw cycles; 2. Establish best soil/water management practices to enhance climate change resiliency and maximize agricultural production; and 3. Assess the on-farm and regional impacts and tradeoffs of these agricultural water management practices.