by Christopher Pettit – Director of the Office of Agricultural Water Policy in the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Water is the lifeblood of our state — and, as our state continues growing, it’s a challenge we have to meet.
Under the leadership of Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, Florida’s Office of Agricultural Water Policy is taking decisive steps to improve existing water resource programs, and spearheading conversations to address the challenges posed by the impacts of our climate crisis.
As director of that office, I recently spoke before a Florida Senate committee on how we’re addressing issues in watersheds across the state. From updating research on the water resource benefits of agricultural best management practices, to prioritizing cost-share funding to help farmers acquire the best technology, we’re putting a new emphasis on innovation to protect Florida’s waters.
In our first 60 days, the office dedicated nearly $1 million to improving infrastructure in Hurricane Michael-ravaged North Florida to the highest level of water-conserving precision agriculture.
Right now, we’re in the process of reviewing and updating our best management practice manuals, to assist our farmers with incorporating the latest scientific and technical research into their operations to protect water resources.
Some of these BMP manuals haven’t been updated since the mid-2000s, despite newly available research and innovative practices, and many need improvements that take water resource conservation and protection into account.
Innovation moves quickly — so by updating the manuals every five years, we’ll ensure that Florida’s agricultural producers are provided with the most up-to-date production practices that allow them to thrive, while protecting and conserving our state’s water supply.
We’re augmenting efforts to enroll producers in the BMP program, and to verify that BMPs are being effectively implemented. We’re prioritizing those areas covered under basin management action plans, where we can greatly restore impaired waters.
Meanwhile, we’re working alongside academic partners — such as UF/IFAS and the FAMU College of Agriculture and Food Sciences — to develop research-driven technologies and modernized practices that can help us make a real impact on better growing techniques that conserve and protect water resources.
We’re also coordinating with international experts to review effective agricultural practices in other parts of the world. We’re putting particular research emphasis on the role of legacy nutrients within impaired watersheds, and how the impacts of climate change will affect growing practices within complex ecosystems.
Florida is the nation’s most vulnerable state to climate change — so we must arm our agriculture community with the knowledge and tools they need to adapt. To do this, we can’t afford to ignore how climate change is reshaping our water and land, and impacting water quality and food production.
These efforts by our office are consistent with the recommendations from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Blue-Green Algae Task Force.
Partnerships are crucial to success, and we’re working closely with agencies like DEP and the state’s water management districts. In particular, we’re working together to develop BMAPs that accurately identify agricultural activities and projects that can improve water quality in priority basins.
Fixing Florida’s waters is a challenge worth getting right — that’s why this legislative session, we’re requesting funding to hire 10 new positions to increase site visits for BMP enrollment and implementation verification. We’re also requesting $30 million in cost-share dollars to expand the use of innovative technologies and fund projects to achieve water quality improvements.
Working together is the only way to make progress for Florida’s waters. We continue to work closely with Florida’s agriculture community, and support our state’s farmers in their efforts as stewards of Florida’s natural lands and waterways.
Together, we can protect and improve the watersheds that provide the quality of life we all value in our state, while we prepare for impacts from climate change and increased development that are challenging our state and its waters.
Christopher Pettit is director of the Office of Agricultural Water Policy in the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.