Agrifood for Net Zero Network+ Food/Net Zero Nexus in the Fens Workshop

Agrifood for Net Zero Network+ Food/Net Zero Nexus in the Fens Workshop

Workshop information

Date: 10th March 2023

Time: 9.45am – 3pm

Location: The workshop will be hosted using a combination of one online platform and multiple in-person meetings at designated satellite hubs. Each hub will dial into the central online meeting for the plenary and feedback sessions. During the discussion sessions, each hub will host their own discussion and appoint a hub champion who will feed back to the larger online group.

Organisers: This workshop is jointly organised by the Systems Interactions in Sequestration strand of the AgriFood for Net Zero Network+ and local host organisations.

Invitees: We welcome all those with an interest to join this workshop, particularly those with expertise or interest in the following areas: the Fens, behavioural science, peatlands, grasslands, greenhouse gas emissions reduction in agriculture, carbon sequestration, rewilding, farming, and livestock grazing.

Expression of interest

To express your interest in attending this workshop please fill out this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdQpQK_5v5-cPWdvO6xWZ3EG1nbcMtNX9b9sqkTdkosQIaIuA/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0 (you will need to copy and paste the link into your browser).

Please register your interest by 3rd March 2023

Rationale

The drained peatlands of the Fens are a major carbon source due to the oxidation of their organic soils which has resulted in a loss of productive land. Some former agricultural land has already become unsuitable for production and it is likely that peatland productivity will continue to decline in the future if these carbon losses continue. To identify knowledge gaps and possible pathways for the future we need to map and review the existing land management systems of the lowland peatlands, and the innovative land use systems that could facilitate emissions reductions in the future.

The purpose of this workshop is to envision potential alternatives to the current unsustainable land use systems of the Fens. We will consider the environmental, financial, social, and technological implications of possible future scenarios of Fens management, with a view to identifying pathways to a net zero agrifood future that maintain the role of the Fens for food security, whilst transforming the land into a net sink of greenhouse gases and facilitating biodiversity net gain.

Aims and desired outputs

The workshop aims to map the research landscape to review the state of the art in land management and potential alternative land use scenarios of the Fens, and to identify knowledge gaps and innovative ways to reduce emissions.

The main output of the workshop will be a review paper or report, with the opportunity for workshop contributors to co-author the publication.

Schedule

The workshop will run from 9.45am – 3pm. Throughout the course of the workshop there will be four short presentations on the following broad topics:

1. Wetter farming/paludiculture on lowland agricultural peatlands

2. The role of lowland peatlands in carbon sequestration and food production

3. The socio-economics of peatland restoration

4. A case study on the Fens

The presentations will open into hub discussions where each hub can have a wider discussion on the topic using the prompts below:

· The existing knowledge and knowledge gaps surrounding how current land use affects the land management of the Fens

· How to define sustainable land management (in the context of the Fens)

· The disparities between sustainable land management in general and the sustainable land management of the Fens

· Where future work in this area should be directed and how actions should be prioritised

· The desired outcomes of the workshop

When discussing the prompts we ask that environmental, financial, social, and technological aspects are all considered. Following each hub discussion, one member of each hub will be appointed to report the hub’s ideas to the larger online group.

The proposed schedule is outlined below and a final version will be circulated to everyone who registers for the workshop.