How AIMM can take the guesswork out of irrigation

Farmers and irrigators can take advantage of a free tool that helps to optimize water use on their farms.

The Alberta Irrigation Management Model (AIMM) is a weather-based irrigation scheduling tool designed to help producers apply the right amount of water at the right time throughout the growing season.

Leonard Hingley, Soil and Water Specialist with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, says AIMM provides field-specific estimates of crop water use and soil water storage to help reduce the guesswork from irrigation management.

“Efficient irrigation management is increasingly important for Alberta producers as water resources face growing pressure from more frequent and prolonged drought conditions,” says Hingley.

Farming Smarter’s Thierry Fonville describes AIMM as a useful tool for anyone who is new to irrigation scheduling, unsure of how to do it, or is worried about overwatering or underwatering their crops.

Irrigators using the platform enter information such as crop type and planting date, field size, irrigation system characteristics including system capacity, as well as soil texture and local weather data from Alberta’s Climate Information Service (ACIS) network

The model then estimates daily crop water use and tracks soil water storage in the root zone.

Based on those estimates, Hingley explains that AIMM provides guidance on the rate, amount and timing of irrigation applications, “Helping producers apply water when crops need it most and avoid unnecessary applications when soil moisture is sufficient.”

AIMM also allows users to track and record irrigation and weather data throughout the growing season, which can be used to review past irrigation decisions, evaluate management strategies and support improvements in future seasons.

“Maintaining this information can also be valuable for on‑farm planning, extension discussions, or water management reporting, providing producers with a documented record of irrigation practices and weather conditions,” says Hingley.

AIMM helps irrigators maintain optimal soil moisture levels for plant growth by tracking daily crop water use in tabular and graphical formats. The model highlights periods when crops are less sensitive to water stress, indicating times when irrigation may be reduced or deferred without impacting yields.

Using water more efficiently allows irrigators to maintain crop productivity and farm profitability while limiting water use, an increasingly important balance as water availability becomes more constrained.

“Overall, AIMM helps bridge the gap between complex irrigation science and practical, on‑farm decision making,” says Hingley. “By translating weather data and crop water use estimates into clear, field‑specific guidance, the model empowers irrigators to make better use of available water, reduce risk, and adapt to changing weather and water availability conditions.”

The AIMM application has recently been updated and is compatible with Windows 7 through Windows 11. More information about AIMM, including software downloads, is available through the Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation website.

Effectively managing water use through irrigation is an important issue to Farming Smarter, and our research teams are currently conducting multiple related projects.

A new project for 2026 is Spring Wheat Management Under Reduced Irrigation. Farming Smarter intends to identify the optimal irrigation levels for spring wheat by testing different water allocations.

Farming Smarter is also in the final year of a three-year study into Smart Irrigation. It aims to develop an Irrigation Decision-Support System using real-time sensor data to generate irrigation prescriptions for water delivery.