With continuing concerns about water availability, safety and regulations, more growers are looking at water treatment to protect this vital resource.
The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is scheduled to release a report on the impact of climate change in March 2014. A leaked copy of the final draft identifies key risks that could occur because of climate change. One of these key risks is related to the lack of availability of drinking and irrigation water to farmers and the impact it could have on their livelihood. The draft indicates that increasingly rising temperatures will reduce renewable water sources. Climate change is also expected to reduce raw water quality and to pose risks to drinking water quality. The panel advises that “adaptive water management techniques” could address the uncertainty caused by climate change.
Rising concerns over water availability and the potential for increased legislation related to water issues are causing more growers to look more closely at their water supplies. Proactive growers are determining how they can better use and protect their sources of water.
For many greenhouse vegetable growers collecting, recycling and reusing their water is critical to the success of their business. The increasing focus on food safety issues is also causing growers to examine the impact water treatment can have on the production, harvesting and handling of their crops.