T
he 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