The Paludiculture and Wetter Farming Fund: A New Chapter for England’s Lowland Peat
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
Douglas Hobbs
4 days ago4 min read
Webinar for the new PWFF grant
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
Douglas Hobbs
Jul 21 min read
New £47 Million Boost for England’s Peatlands: What It Means for Paludiculture
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.
Douglas Hobbs
Jun 303 min read
Case study: Wetter farming for food production - practice and potential
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.
Douglas Hobbs
Jun 244 min read
Stakeholder Workshop on Niche Paludiculture Crops: Exploring New Opportunities on Rewetted Peatlands
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
Douglas Hobbs
Jun 162 min read
Case study: Is new agronomy needed for paludi-crops?
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.
Douglas Hobbs
Jun 43 min read
Join Our Journey: Why We’re Opening Ponda Up to Our Community
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
Liv Symes
May 208 min read
Case study: Partnership and collaboration – challenges and opportunities in paludiculture
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
Douglas Hobbs
May 185 min read