NEWS AND BLOG

England’s lowland peat is entering a new era. With the launch of the Paludiculture and Wetter Farming Fund, Natural England and Defra are backing a shift toward productive, rewetted landscapes that cut emissions, slow peat loss, and open the door to new markets for crops like Phragmites, Typha and Sphagnum. The PWFF is more than a grant scheme, it’s an invitation to redesign farming systems for a wetter future while keeping land in use and livelihoods intact. The recording fr

Natural England are holding a webinar on Tuesday 7 July, 11:00 to 11:45 to provide an overview of the fund and the application process, and an opportunity to ask questions. If you would like to attend, please email pwff@naturalengland.org.uk The Paludiculture and Wetter Farming Fund (PWFF) is now open, with up to £10 million available to support projects across England's lowland peat landscapes. Funded by Defra and delivered by Natural England (NE), PWFF builds on earlier wor

England’s peatlands are at a turning point. With a new £47 million government funding package, fresh opportunities are emerging to restore degraded peat, raise water tables and scale up paludiculture. This blog explores what the new Lowland Peat Water Implementation Grant and Paludiculture and Wetter Farming Fund mean for farmers, researchers and the future of wetter land use.

This case study explores how projects funded through the Paludiculture Exploration Fund (PEF) and other funding sources have investigated the feasibility of growing food crops within wetter farming systems.

The transition to wetter farming is gathering pace across Europe, and with it comes growing interest in niche paludiculture crops, plants adapted to wet peatland conditions that can deliver environmental and economic benefits simultaneously. This summer, the Horizon Europe project Paludi4All is bringing stakeholders together to explore these opportunities in depth. Find out more and register for the workshop Why niche crops matter for paludiculture Paludiculture, farming on w

This case study examines whether new, systems-level agronomy is needed for wet peat farming and, if so, what that new agronomy looks like in practice.

Don't invest unless you're prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more. This article first appeared on the Ponda website, (18 May 2026) For a long time, the fashion industry has forced a difficult choice on us: rely on fossil fuel-based materials, or use animal-derived down. But what if the clothes we wear could actually help heal the planet instead of harmin

This is the second in a series of case sudies written by freelance journalist and technical writer Teresa Rush. Partnership and collaboration: Challenges and opportunities in paludiculture Overview Through a portfolio of 12 projects, the Paludiculture Exploration Fund (PEF) has shown that paludiculture can boost farm and rural incomes, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, support improved water management, and nature’s recovery. Just as importantly, the programme has demons

Wet meadows are often celebrated for their biodiversity value and cultural importance, but their role in climate mitigation and sustainable biomass production is only just beginning to receive the attention it deserves. This June, researchers, practitioners and policymakers from across Europe will come together in Poland for a dedicated Paludi4All workshop on wet meadows, focusing on paludiculture approaches, biomass use, and the development of viable value chains. The Paludi

The next few weeks offer a great opportunity to engage with others working on peatland management, paludiculture and climate‑positive land use — from practical on‑farm learning to national and international knowledge‑sharing. A Journey to Net Zero & Beyond: Livestock Farming on Peatland Thursday 28 May | Stone Ends Farm, Hesket Newmarket This inspiring on‑farm event explores how livestock farming systems on peat soils can move beyond net zero while remaining productive and pr

The Paludiculture Exploration Fund (PEF) is helping transform how the UK manages, values and commercialises wetland crops grown on rewetted peat. This case study explores how PEF-funded projects highlights how whole-chain working has enabled innovation in textiles, construction and horticulture, while also tackling the practical barriers that must be addressed to scale these solutions.

See how paludiculture projects have developed in Germany over the past 25 years! A new GMC publication systematically documents and evaluates 146 projects. The new GMC paper ' The Development of the Paludiculture Project Landscape – An Overview and Analysis in Germany ' (German only) shows: Of the total of 146 projects examined from the past 25 years, the first initiatives began as early as the 1990s – even before the term 'paludiculture' was coined in 1998. However, more tha

A new policy‑focused document from the University of Leicester, based on the research of Zoe Lipkens, Towards Wetter Peatland Landscapes for Climate, People and Nature, sets out how rewetting these landscapes—and embracing “wetter farming” through paludiculture—can help the UK meet climate targets while supporting farmers, communities, and nature.

A growing body of evidence is showing what many in the paludiculture community have long suspected: wetter farming doesn’t just help cut carbon emissions—it can also create thriving habitats for wildlife. A new study led by the RSPB and the Centre for Landscape Regeneration at the University of Cambridge , published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence (2026) , has found that paludiculture sites support bird communities that are richer, more abundant, and more diverse than t

My name is Felix Brockley-Hatch, and I’m currently completing a Master of Arts and Sciences (MASC) at the London Interdisciplinary School. My research centres on peatland perceptions—how people understand, value, and emotionally connect with these unique and often overlooked landscapes. Evies Pictures As I begin developing my project, I am especially interested in how paludiculture can help us reshape human–landscape relationships. I want to investigate how paludiculture can

This might seem a little left-field to the usual content on this site, but the themes discussed in this YouTube presentation are relevant to paludiculture because Chloe Donovan’s work sits at the crossroads of agriculture, material supply chains, and low-carbon construction, consistently exploring how natural, plant-based materials can support new rural income sources and local manufacturing models. https://youtu.be/YPRwUz29PYI?si=DePxU3nSC3tj9gLm 1:1 scale cross-section of a

On Wednesday, 25 February, Defra’s Lowland Peat Team will host two webinars introducing the new grant schemes, which will run until 2030. This is a key opportunity to understand how new government support can help farm businesses adapt their business while protecting the long-term viability of England’s peat landscapes. Read more and register here England’s lowland peatlands cover around 250,000 hectares, making them some of the most productive yet environmentally vulnerabl

A recent publication shows that paludiculture offers a sustainable, climate-smart alternative capable of reducing environmental impacts while creating new economic opportunities. It ultimately provides a practical, forward-looking pathway that addresses climate change, supports biodiversity, and strengthens rural economies—a genuine win-win-win. Link >> Jim Morefield Whilst redesigning and adding content to the paludiculture website resources page, I came across a recently p

At the Managing Carbon and Water in Lowland Landscapes Conference, the Broads Authority unveiled Broadly Speaking, a new podcast series created through a Defra‑funded project aimed at building a peatland community and tackling one of the region’s most pressing environmental challenges: cutting greenhouse gas emissions from 2,000 hectares of drained peat soils. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/322tik3SHtt2h4UTTsCoAb Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/broads-authority App

England’s peatlands are on the brink of transformation. These landscapes hold the key to cutting greenhouse gas emissions, boosting biodiversity, and building farm resilience. With the Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2025 setting bold restoration targets and new funding streams announced for 2026–2030. For more information, see the Defra Lowland Peat Newsletter The Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2025 , published on 1 December, aims to rest