The Agricultural Water Infrastructure Program will help the sector in adapting to climate change by providing incentives for the sector to invest in water infrastructure for adaptation.
The Agricultural Water Infrastructure (AWI) Program is a three-year, up to $20M program, with funding by the Government of BC through the Ministry of Agriculture & Food. The program is delivered by IAF. Through the program, primary and Indigenous Producers, conservation groups, water purveyors and Indigenous Communities will have access to cost-shared funding to adapt to climate change by investing in water infrastructure.
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Program Objectives
- Target funding in water-scarce and drought-prone areas that will be increasingly stressed by climate change, and that will benefit from more efficient infrastructure or storage to maximize available water for agricultural uses particularly irrigation and livestock watering; and
- Target funding in areas with sufficient water supply or with high potential for farmland expansion that could lead to an increase in agricultural production with additional water infrastructure.
Program Goal
The Program Goal is to improve water security in agricultural areas and food security in BC.

Eligibility Criteria
Applications
Application Process
Applicants can apply through the IAF Client Portal. The application process and required documents are specific to each funding stream. The application process will generally consist of:
Applicants may be required to provide supplementary materials in support of their application (e.g., budget, water licence, change approval). These documents can be uploaded through the IAF Client Portal as attachments to the application.
IAF staff are available to answer questions regarding eligible activities, costs and/or the application process. IAF may also contact applicants for additional information or clarification to assess their application. Applicants can contact awi@iafbc.ca with any questions about the program or to receive support in developing their application.
Applicants are encouraged to include only activities they are confident will be completed on time and within budget limits.
Review and Adjudication
IAF will accept applications on a continuous basis with review and adjudication in batches based on the review dates noted above. All applications received by the review date will be reviewed by IAF for eligibility and completeness. Applications that meet program eligibility requirements will be prioritized based on the pre-set priorities and evaluation criteria for the application intake as provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food (see Appendix). Eligible applications may be reviewed by a technical advisor to provide additional technical evaluation to allow IAF to rank applications against the priority list. IAF will complete adjudication within 60 days after an intake review date, followed by decision emails to applicants.
Applications that best align with the prioritization criteria will be offered funding first. Applications will be considered in batches until all available funding is committed.
Applications that are not successful will not be brought forward to the next review batch and applicants will need to re-apply for future consideration. All adjudication decisions are final.
Notifications & Obligations
Funding Notifications & Contracts
If the project is approved, IAF will inform the applicant of the details of the decision and any associated terms and conditions. The applicant then enters into an agreement with IAF which outlines the obligations of each party.
Funding is application and project-specific and must be used for the approved project and related expenses. Funds are non-transferable.
Project activities requiring financial resources cannot commence until the contribution agreement has been signed by both the applicant and IAF.
Projects receiving funding through Streams 1-3 of the Agricultural Water Infrastructure Program can begin as of approval and must be complete by January 15, 2026. Projects may carry over between fiscal years. All projects will need to be completed by January 15, 2026. For large-scale projects that will take over three years to complete, the Program will fund phases of the projects that can be completed within the program timeframe.
Applicants applying to Stream 3 will be eligible to apply to Streams 1 or 2 for funding upon completion of their project if funding and time remains in the program. Funding limits are set per stream per project. Applicants can apply to multiple streams; however, they will need to apply for each stream separately and can only have a single project per stream underway at once. There is no lifetime maximum funding limit per applicant.
If the project is not approved, the applicant will receive a written response from IAF.
Funding Acknowledgement
This program is funded by the Government of BC, as such acknowledgement of funding is required when publicly communicating about a project and/or funding. To ensure appropriate acknowledgement, all communications and marketing materials, including public announcements or social media posts, must be pre-approved by the IAF Communications Team. Materials can be submitted via the IAF Client Portal.
Reporting Requirements
Successful applicants must complete a final report and audit (if applicable) prior to receiving final payment from the program and may be required to submit interim activity and financial reporting. All required reports must be filled out and submitted to IAF to be considered for funding reimbursement. It is important reports are submitted on time and with all required information. Please retain all invoices and receipts, you may be asked to submit some or all receipt/invoices following a review of your report(s) by the IAF Team. Expenses will be reimbursed based on audited receipts, financial report, and the approved project budget. All reporting will be completed via the IAF Client Portal.
Changes to Contracted Projects
If you are not able to complete your project according to the approved workplan, please inform the IAF Team as soon as possible using the IAF Client Portal.
2023/24 Prioritization Framework
PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA FOR ALL APPLICATIONS TO STREAM 1 & 2: | |||
Agricultural water supply assessment, engineering study or plan has been completed. | Yes | 1 | |
No | 0 | ||
All technical, environmental, and regulatory standards and/or requirements, as applicable, have been met, e.g., a water licence has been issued/amended; documentation from the Ministry of Forests confirming the proposed work is mandatory or recommended, and an authorization has been provided by the Dam Safety Program for the alteration, improvement, or replacement of a dam; approval from Agricultural Land Commission (ALC). | Yes | 1 | |
No | 0 | ||
Projects for existing agricultural dams will be ranked with preference given to dams with higher risk levels. | Risk Level | Ranking | |
1 | 10 | ||
2 | 8 | ||
3 | 6 | ||
4 | 4 | ||
5 | 2 | ||
A cost-benefit analysis that demonstrates there is a significant component in agricultural water use and that the proposed work focuses on improving long-term water security and food security to meet current and future needs in the agricultural sector. | Excellent | 4 | |
Good | 3 | ||
Average | 2 | ||
Poor | 1 | ||
Unacceptable | 0 | ||
A workplan that has been well thought-out with a high level of long-term commitment where the proposed work will not only be beneficial today but also remain viable and valuable in the future under climate change scenarios. | Excellent | 4 | |
Good | 3 | ||
Average | 2 | ||
Poor | 1 | ||
Unacceptable | 0 |
PRIORITIZATION CRITERIA FOR ALL APPLICATIONS TO STREAM 3: | |||
A cost-benefit analysis to demonstrate there is a significant component in agricultural water use and that the proposed work focuses on improving long-term water security and food security to meet current and future needs in the agricultural sector. | Excellent | 4 | |
Good | 3 | ||
Average | 2 | ||
Poor | 1 | ||
Unacceptable | 0 | ||
A workplan that has been well thought-out with a high level of long-term commitment where the proposed work will not only be beneficial today but also remain viable and valuable in the future under climate change scenarios. | Excellent | 4 | |
Good | 3 | ||
Average | 2 | ||
Poor | 1 | ||
Unacceptable | 0 |
Ready to Apply?
Resources

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food.