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LIVING WATER SMART IN BRITISH COLUMBIA: “To get to food security in BC, we need to increase the irrigated area from 200,000 to 300,000 hectares,” stated Ted van der Gulik, President of the Partnership for Water Sustainability, and former Senior Engineer in the Ministry of Agriculture

Note to Reader:

Published by the Partnership for Water Sustainability in British Columbia, Waterbucket eNews celebrates the leadership of individuals and organizations who are guided by the Living Water Smart vision. The edition published on November 19, 2024 features Ted van der Gulik and his perspective on how British Columbia can achieve food security. As the former Senior Engineer in the BC Ministry of Agriculture, he was ahead of his time when he spearheaded development of the Agriculture Water Demand Model almost two decades ago. With this tool, British Columbia has been able to quantify what the province has versus what the province needs with respect to land and water for food security.

 

EDITOR’S PERSPECTIVE / CONTEXT FOR BUSY READER

“As long as I have known Ted van der Gulik, and that goes back to 1988, he has consistently translated vision into action. So, it is not surprising that in his career he has been honoured with two Premier’s Awards of Excellence. And Ted van der Gulik is one of only 22 individuals tapped for membership in the British Columbia Public Service Hall of Excellence,” states Kim Stephens,  Waterbucket eNews Editor and Partnership Executive Director.

 

 

“In addition to his leadership role related to water for agriculture, Ted van der Gulik led the intergovernmental partnership which won a Premier’s Award of Excellence in 2009 for the Water Balance Model for British Columbia. The model is a scenario comparison tool for green infrastructure design in the urban setting.”

 

 

“Ted van der Gulik is a green infrastructure influencer and his influence is described in the Chronicle of Green Infrastructure Innovation in Metro Vancouver from 1994 through 2024. This edition of Waterbucket eNews is the 6th installment in a preview series.”

“In the Green Infrastructure Chronicle, I identify seven individuals who stood out in the 1990s and 2000s for their ability to change the game in ways that were consequential. Ted van der Gulik is one of the group of seven.”

To Learn More:

To read the complete story, download a copy of Living Water Smart in British Columbia: Is our food security slipping away without anyone noticing?

The story behind the story is structured in four parts (topics). The bookends are about the existing Agriculture Land Reserve and a potential Agriculture Water Reserve as foundation pieces for food security. In between are high-level perspectives about a mind-set change and the pragmatic tools we now have to protect water and soil.

The spotlight in Topic One is on the food lands in the Fraser Valley because few people in British Columbia know or appreciate how important the Agriculture Land Reserve in the Fraser Valley is to food security for British Columbia. Also, that water security is key to food security. 

 

DOWNLOAD A COPY: https://waterbucket.ca/wcp/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/11/PWSBC_Living-Water-Smart_Ted-van-der-Gulik-perspective-on-food-security_2024.pdf