The University of British Columbia Okanagan is getting $1.4 million in federal funding to research irrigation and its effect on greenhouse gas emissions.

The school is one of the beneficiaries of Ottawa’s new $27 million Agricultural Greenhouses Program, which is supporting 20 research projects.

The funding boost comes amid renewed attention on climate change after the U.S. pulled out of the Paris climate agreement last week.

“These new investments are part of the government’s commitment to addressing climate change and ensuring our farmers are world leaders in the use and development of clean and sustainable technology and processes,” said Lawrence MacAulay, minister of agriculture and agri-food in a statement.

‘Huge amount’ of carbon in soil

Irrigation — the watering of land to prep it for agriculture — might not seem synonymous with climate change. But researchers at UBCO want to know how it affects the storage of carbon and nitrogen in soil.

“When we talk about climate change, we often discuss the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But actually a huge amount of carbon is stored in the soil,” Kirsten Hannam, a research associate on the project, told CBC’s Chris Walker on Daybreak South.

The buildup happens when carbon dioxide in the air is fixed by plants during photosynthesis and converted into leaves and roots. The carbon is deposited into the soil and accumulates over time.