Canada-Saskatchewan Irrigation Diversification Centre

Symbol of the Canada-Saskatchewan and Irrigation Crop Diversification Corporation (CSIDC)

The Canada-Saskatchewan Irrigation Diversification Centre (CSIDC) promotes economically and environmentally sustainable irrigation practices to producers and industry. CSIDC investigates and demonstrates crops, technologies, and best management practices that help producers to sustain land and water resources while maintaining their economic viability.

The Centre consists of 145 hectares of federal land at Outlook, Saskatchewan, Canada comprised of 80 hectares on the main site and 65 hectares on a satellite irrigated site located east of Outlook. A total of 125 hectares is available for irrigation research and demonstration ranging from small plot trials to commercial scale production.

A major priority of the Centre is to diversify irrigated crop production options for rural clients. The benefits of higher value crops, such as dry bean and seed potato, include greater economic returns, opportunities to add value, and increased sustainability of the rural economy. Agronomic information is made available to producers who want to diversify their operations outside the scope of traditional crops.

Applied research at CSIDC also focuses on identifying practical best management practices that reduce the impacts of irrigation on the environment. Activities include monitoring the fate of agrochemicals, developing management practices for improved nutrient and water use efficiencies, understanding and mitigating agricultural greenhouse gas emissions, and improving irrigated crop production practices.

Demonstration activities focus upon improved on-farm crop management of both field and forage crops. This includes evaluating the effects of seeding rates, fertilizers, fungicide, and growth regulators on crop yield, improving management of problem soils, and increasing awareness of improved irrigation scheduling methods.

CSIDC's emphasis on technology transfer ensures that clients have access to technical and developmental opportunities through factsheets, displays, annual reports, field days, tours, and scientific publications.

CSIDC is a partnership among Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatchewan Agriculture, the Irrigation Crop Diversification Corporation (ICDC), the Saskatchewan Irrigation Projects Association (SIPA), and the University of Saskatchewan.