The Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities is asking the province for an update on the Lake Diefenbaker Irrigation Project.

The project seeks to expand irrigation options for farmers in Saskatchewan by way of canals off of Lake Diefenbaker.

SARM President Ray Orb says they're hoping to get an update as to the progress the province has made.

"The project was announced a few years ago and we're a little bit concerned. We haven't seen much progress on the expansion. The total amount of acres that was proposed to be brought into the irrigation system around Lake Diefenbaker was around $500,000 and so if that was completed that would be that would be a huge project.

They're hoping to get more info on phase 1, which would open up a west-side canal for farmers to use.

"I know the province was hoping that there would be some value-added crops that would go in that area and particularly I know they're looking at some of the crops should be going basically for human food and as well as providing some access to ranchers and some farmers in the area for their own ranches and yard sites and things like that."

"The idea of using Lake Diefenbaker for some crops to provide food would be really valuable, because now we're in the kind of stage where food security is really important, not in just Saskatchewan or Canada, but to customers around the world where food is getting scarce in some places and here we do have the ability to produce more by using irrigation, which is very reliable, but we just really can't get our hands on the water and I think that's the frustrating part." 

After phase 1, phase 2 would look at further expanding the west canal in order to service a full 260,000 acres in Saskatchewan.

Orb says that he's hoping to see some federal money into the project as he believes it's important to the province's infrastructure.

"I think you can't overemphasize the importance of irrigation. We've been in a number of years of drought and I think whenever production of food in particular can be expanded upon I think that's really a valuable commodity."