
Paludiculture in North West England
Introduction
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.
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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.
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Projects
Boggy bulrushes to BioPuff
One of the first field-scale trial of growing a typha crop on re-wet agricultural peat. The seed heads will be harvested and a market has already been secured for these with company Ponda to create BioPuff®, a revolutionary sustainable and eco-friendly replacement for the use of synthetic fibres or goose feather down in padded jackets. Read more>>
Care-Peat
Care-Peat is an Interreg North-West Europe (NWE) project with 12 partners working together to reduce carbon emissions and restore the carbon storage capacity of different types of peatlands in North-West Europe. Read more>>
Micropropagation Services: Solving The Peatland Crisis Through Sphagnum Farming – The Green Alternative to Peat
Scaling up the production of Sphagnum Farming to produce sustainable growing media to replace peat and support the English horticulture sector, whilst also supporting lowland peat farmers with this sustainable, profitable Sphagnum crop for their land. Read more>>
OPENpeat
​Focusing on promoting paludiculture in the North West region that contains extensive lowland farming on peat by actively engaging with the farming demographic in the region with wetter farming projects to develop the paludiculture knowledge base.
Overcoming Financial Barriers for Paludiculture with Biochar Integration
Combining biochar integration to enhance revenues from carbon financing could offer a key opportunity to overcome the financial barriers associated with paludiculture adoption. This project aims to identify cost-effective biochar application methods and biochar types to reduce input costs for biochar integration, whilst also maximising carbon finance revenues by identifying biochar management practices, specific to paludiculture, that offers optimum carbon removal and storage. Read more>>
Could Drones allow for Biochar Application on Paludiculture Fields?
Biochar, a stable form of carbon created by heating biomass under low-oxygen conditions (pyrolysis), could help mitigate some of the financial challenges associated with paludiculture. With over 70% carbon content and high stability, biochar can enhance carbon sequestration, opening up revenue opportunities from voluntary carbon credit markets.
A significant challenge for paludiculture is accessibility onto the land for essential farm tasks such as planting, harvesting, and applying soil amendments. Wet soils are difficult or even impossible to access with traditional machinery, here drones could come in as a potential solution. Read more>>
Latest News and Blog
Paludiculture North-West Workshop
A wet, cold and blustery day on the Lancashire Mosses, which shone new light on the options for farmers wanting to move from the difficulties of intensive production on peatland soils. Read more>> (28 March 2023)
What is wetter farming?
What is wetter farming? How do you do it? Why would you do it? What can you grow? What else do you need to think about? Read more>> (03 May 2024)
Could celery help fight climate change?
As part of a UK first wetter farming pilot, The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside are trialling growing a commercial celery crop on a re-wetted peatland field, to combine carbon emissions reduction with financially viable production. Read more>> (10 May 2024)
Boggy blueberries battling climate change
Our pioneering Rindle wetter farming trial has a new crop – and it’s just ready for your breakfast! Read more>> (24 May 2024)
Drone seed sowing at the bulrush wetter farming trial
How do you sow seeds on re-wetted farmland? By drone! Read more>> (03 October 2024)
Can you grow lettuce on a bog?
The Rindle wetter farming trial has just been planted up with this years crop of celery and lettuce. But how do you grow crops on a peat bog, and why would you even try? Read more>> (09 October 2024)
Videos
What is wetter farming? Also read the blog
A step by step guide to rewetting a field
Making wetter farming a reality
Wetter farming: A farmers perspective
Using a drone to sow Typha. Also read the blog
About us
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Manchester Metropolitan University
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