The Lake Winnipeg Basin Project demonstrates how potato growers and partners are creating ecosystem service value, improving water quality, and strengthening supply chain resilience through on-farm water stewardship.
St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin – The Potato Sustainability Alliance (PSA), together with growers and partners across the food, agriculture, and environmental sectors, announced measurable progress from the Lake Winnipeg Basin (LWB) Project – a groundbreaking initiative demonstrating how farm-level water stewardship practices, when coordinated through a landscape-based approach, deliver tangible value for growers, communities, and supply chains.
Covering more than 45,000 acres on four farms in Manitoba, Canada, the LWB Project unites farmers with eight partner organizations, including Cargill, Simplot, Syngenta, Nutrien, Ducks Unlimited Canada, Maple Leaf, Diageo, and others. Together, they are implementing and measuring water stewardship practices that improve watershed health, build resilience to climate extremes, and strengthen supply chain transparency.
Figure 1:
The Lake Winnipeg Basin (Western Canada Wilderness Committee, 2008) from: https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications /water_quality_trading_lake_wpg_basin.pdf
Using the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) International Water Stewardship Standard as a framework, participating farms developed whole-farm water stewardship plans that integrate sustainable practices such as:
- 4R Nutrient Stewardship
- Cover cropping
- Reduced tillage
- Riparian habitat enhancement
- Irrigation efficiencies
EcoMetrics, LLC, provided third-party verification of outcomes, offering a robust, data-driven picture of how farm actions generate measurable ecosystem service value.
Key Outcomes (2023–2025)
- Ecosystem Support – Potato farms are already delivering value through nutrient cycling, runoff reduction, and water regulation.
- Enhanced Stewardship – Additional practices such as cover crops, irrigation efficiency, and seeding marginal areas to forages amplify environmental and economic benefits.
- Regional Impact – Measurable contributions to greenhouse gas reductions and nutrient retention demonstrate benefits at both farm and watershed scales.
- Combined Social Return on Investment (SROI) and Ecosystem Valuation – By incorporating environmental and social value into financial frameworks, farms are showing positive returns beyond the farm.
“As a grower, I see firsthand how water connects everything we do – our soils, our crops, and our communities,” said Chad Berry, a partner in Under The Hill Farms and Over The Hill Farms in Cypress River, Manitoba, and participating potato grower in the LWB Project. “By working together through this project, we’re not just protecting our land today – we’re building a future with healthier water, stronger farms, and more resilient food systems for everyone who depends on them.”
Potatoes – one of the world’s most nutrient-dense staple crops – offer a unique sustainability story. The LWB Project demonstrates that potato farming, when grounded in regenerative practices, can drive meaningful progress on the climate-food-water nexus. By aligning farmer knowledge, science-based frameworks, and industry collaboration, the project shows how agriculture can be a force for nature-based solutions and long-term resilience.
Located in the Central Assiniboine, Redboine, and Pembina Valley sub-watersheds, the LWB Project brings together growers, food companies, agricultural organizations, and environmental partners to co-create water stewardship plans and measure outcomes through third-party EcoMetrics analysis. The project highlights how collaboration across the supply chain can generate value for farmers, ecosystems, and communities alike.
The LWB Project is supported by:
Cargill | Potato Sustainability Alliance | Diageo | Ducks Unlimited Canada | Nutrien | Simplot | Syngenta | Maple Leaf | Swansfleet | Corduroy Plains | McIntosh Ventures | Under the Hill Farms | Over the Hill Farms
Learn more about the Lake Winnipeg Basin Project and its collaborative outcomes here: https://potatosustainability.org/lake-winnipeg-basin/
About Potato Sustainability Alliance
The Potato Sustainability Alliance consists of growers, supply chain partners, non-profit organizations and advisors working together to improve the economic, environmental and social aspects of potato production in the United States and Canada. In conjunction with our partners, we support the identification and adoption of sustainable production practices and meet consumer and market expectations by benchmarking the farm level sustainability performance of potato production.
For more information about the Potato Sustainability Alliance and its members, please visit potatosustainability.org.
Questions and inquiries regarding this information can be directed to PSA communications lead, Courtney Rude Lamie at courtney@potatosustainability.org.