From Rewetting to Revenue: What Have We Learned About Making Paludiculture Work?
Paludiculture is increasingly being promoted as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from drained peatlands while maintaining productive land use, but what does it actually take to make wet farming work in practice? A new international review drawing together evidence from more than 400 scientific and grey-literature sources identifies the lessons emerging from Europe's growing number of paludiculture projects and highlights the challenges that still need to be overcome.
Douglas Hobbs
Sep 205 min read
PaludiFair 2026 to Showcase the Future of Farming on Wet Peatlands
PaludiFair 2026 will shine a spotlight on one of Europe's most promising land-use innovations. Taking place in County Mayo, Ireland, the event will showcase peatland restoration and paludiculture projects from across Ireland and Europe, providing visitors with an opportunity to discover the crops, products and ideas emerging from the transition towards farming on wet and rewetted peatlands. On 8 October 2026, the Killasser Community Centre in Listernan, County Mayo, will host
Douglas Hobbs
Sep 172 min read
Rewetting Agricultural Peat: Why Water Levels Are Only Part of the Story
A major Environment Agency research programme has revealed that rewetting agricultural peat is far more complex than simply raising ditch water levels. Drawing on hydrology, water-quality and field-monitoring studies, the LP3+ project highlights how climate, drainage design, peat condition and water availability all shape the success of peatland restoration and paludiculture. For many years, discussions about peatland restoration have focused on a seemingly simple solution: r
Douglas Hobbs
Sep 116 min read
Seeing the Whole Elephant: Why the AKOS may be the game changer for paludiculture fibre crops
Natural‑fibre innovation has been waiting for a system like this. The AgriKinetics OS (AKOS) promises clarity, evidence, and a fully governed development pathway, and the introduction video shows exactly how it works: AKOS Introduction - YouTube AKOS Introduction - YouTube Most of us know that moment. You’re staring at a problem and thinking there must be a better way. For David Stone, that moment arrived somewhere between investment‑banking software and a laboratory full of
Douglas Hobbs
Aug 284 min read
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
Jul 154 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