Paludiculture
The productive land use of wet and rewetted peatlands
The North West of England is home to significant areas of lowland peat, from the Chat Moss peatlands of Greater Manchester to the Lancashire Mosslands and beyond, the majority of these peatlands have been drained and converted to grade one agricultural land. Releasing large amounts of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, many of these areas are also proving increasingly difficult to farm productively under drainage based agricultural practices.
Paludiculture, also known as wetter farming, offers a potential solution for maintaining the profitable use of lowland peatland whilst significantly reducing the greenhouse gas emissions. By raising the water table to reinstate their natural wetland conditions, crops can be grown which thrive in these wetter conditions. This allows the land to remain productive, whilst protecting the remaining soil carbon and thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the land.
Videos
Talking Paludiculture
The Talking Paludiculture vlog is hosted by Megan Hudson (Fenland Soil), (https://vimeo.com/showcase/talking-paludiculture-pod). The podacasts are hosted by Elizabeth Stockdale (Niab), (Will create a page in paludiculture.co.uk similar to the FFRF page with links to podacast providers etc)
Experiences from the Somerset Levels: part 2
Will Barnard – Farmer and FWAG-SW and Anna Lantaff – FWAG-SW
On-going work with farmer groups in the Somerset Levels
Experiences trying to grow Typha (bullrush) as a crop
The vision of mosaic landscapes with protected sites, wetter grasslands, paludi-crops and green finance options
The science behind the spotlight on lowland peat
Chris Evans - UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
Peat are highly productive black soils, in this podcast Chris and Elizabeth discuss their importance in carbon management and their importance in helping us to achieve net zero. First published in December 2023 as part of the future farming resiliance podcast series.
Experiences from the Somerset Levels: part 1
Damon Bridge – RSPB, delivering a Landscape Recovery programme and Mike Stanton, Chair of Somerset Rivers Authority
Landscape and land use within Somerset Levels
Flood risk management with increasing extreme weather
Exploring landscape change opportunities
The role of paludiculture in landscape transitions
Challenges to change for farming systems
What is this all about? hosted by Megan Hudson (Fenland Soil) with:
Jim Milner - Natural England and Elizabeth Stockdale - Niab, Paludiculture Engagement Lead
What is paludiculture?
What is wetter farming?
Active rewetting projects for wetter farming, paludiculture and restoration can be found here>>
How can farmers explore their options with these new crops and systems?
A guide to support practical implementation of paludiculture systems
This guide is intended to provide guidance and support for the conversion of land and farms to paludiculture and is primarily aimed at farmers and owners of peatland who are considering or already planning this conversion. The aim of the guide is to summarise current knowledge and present the individual steps needed for conversion clearly.
A translation of the Leitfaden Fur Die Umsetzung Von Paludikultur
2025
Design Guide to Support Water Table and Water Resource Management in the Broads National Park
The Broads Authority have worked with the Environment Agency to develop a design guide to help interested farmers and landowners plan and implement watertable management strategies. The guide focusses on the typical policy, constraints, and opportunities for water supply, water level management and the permissions required for the restoration of degraded lowland peat
Broads Authority
2025
Potential markets for paludiculture crops
Paludiculture has been proposed as a potential solution for maintaining the profitable use of lowland peatlands whilst significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, underpinning the success of paludiculture is the market viability of paludiculture products.
Katy Ross, Defra
2025
Potential for Greenhouse Gas Emission Savings from Paludiculture
Drained agricultural lowland peat accounts for 1.5% of the UKs total GHG emissions while supporting 40% of the country’s vegetable production. Paludiculture offers a potential alternative to conventional agriculture that combines profitable crop production with reduced environmental impacts.
Katy Ross, Defra
2024
More paliudiculture resources can be found here>>
