Marijuana Business Magazine July 2018

10. Don’t Overlook Rainwater for Crop Irrigation As legalization of cannabis expands across North America and beyond, the resources needed for cultivation will grow in scarcity. Chief among these – particularly for outdoor farmers – is water. Water use among growers is fraught with regulatory and environmental complications, especially when it comes to rivers and streams. “Trying to stay away from surface water is definitely advisable,” warned Kristin Nevedal, chair of the International Cannabis Farmers Association. “Trying to get hold of that surface water for cannabis cultivation is problematic.” To solve the problem, Nevedal advised growers to look to their rooftops and install rainwater catchment systems to bolster their existing irrigation plans. An inch of rain on the roof of a 1,000-square-foot property yields 600 gallons of water, said Nevedal, who also is chief compliance officer for SunFed, a provider of extraction and manu- facturing services and the parent company of California-based Hum- boldt’s Finest. An inch of rain on a 40,000-square- foot facility, meanwhile, would net 24,000 gallons of water. Ponds, tanks and cisterns represent other opportunities for rainwa- ter collection. Growers in agricultural areas that aren’t connected to municipal water sources should make sure their water source is permanent, Nevedal advised. “One of my favorite growing locations is an alluvial flood plain,” she said, add- ing that dry farming (or growing without irrigation) is possible in such soil. ◆ Kristin Nevedal 86 • Marijuana Business Magazine • July 2018