PALUDICULTURE

Within the Nature for Climate Fund, Natural England is delivering the Paludiculture Exploration Fund (PEF) for England. This website provides a hub for the PEF projects and also provides links for the wider Paludiculture Community.

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EVENTS

Access details of future and past events relating to Paludiculture in England.
Find the latest information about future events.
Access reports from past Events and Workshops.

Access details of on-ongoing and completed projects relating to Paludiculture in England.
Find out more about the Paludiculture Exploration Fund
Share reports and updates from the range of ongoing Paludiculture projects

Access more information relevant to the growing opportunity for Paludiculture in England
Find summaries of academic research on a range of relevant topics including the agronomy and use of paludiculture crops, together with the impacts of paludiculture on GHG emissions, biodiversity and water resources.
Share reports and guidance from research in practice

ABOUT PALUDICULTURE

Paludiculture, or farming with high water tables, is a system of agriculture for the profitable production of wetland crops under conditions that support the competitive advantage of these crops. While the term “paludiculture” is a recent one, its practice in England goes back generations.

In the context of lowland peat soils, paludiculture takes place through raising of the water table to achieve wetland conditions. Paludiculture offers a potential solution for maintaining the profitable use of lowland peatland whilst significantly reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their current (dryland) agricultural use. In 2020, emissions from drained agricultural peatlands in England were estimated at 8.5 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalents. This is around 3% of England’s emissions.