Paludiculture, in simple terms, is a way of farming in wetlands without harming the environment. Instead of draining wetlands or marshy areas to facilitate conventional agriculture, paludiculture involves cultivating crops or plants that thrive in waterlogged conditions, such as bulrush, sphagnum moss and certain berries. In the context of lowland peat soils, this is usually achieved through the raising of the water table. This approach helps to reduce carbon emissions, preserve the natural wetland ecosystem and provide opportunities for agriculture. 

Good for the environment

Peat soils consist of 30–45% carbon; as the peat dries out and vegetation decomposes, carbon is released. With an estimated 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon stored in UK peatland these soils need to be carefully managed to enable the sequestration of carbon and deliver against the UK’s net zero emissions target. Healthy, well-maintained peatland does not just avoid emissions of carbon but stores it in the soil as soil organic carbon (SOC), thus helping to combat climate change.

Peatland restoration

Historically, wetlands have been drained for horticulture, peat extraction or conversion to other land uses. So, while the peatlands have the potential to store substantial amounts of carbon and mitigate climate change, using them for the above purposes has led to degradation which results in carbon emissions. In 2020, drained agricultural peatlands in England emitted approximately 8.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, accounting for about 3% of England's total emissions. Therefore, efforts to preserve and restore peatlands can play a crucial role in both carbon sequestration and emission reduction strategies.

Sustainable farming incentive opportunities

Farming these wetlands through systems like paludiculture could be a way to keep lowland peatlands productive and profitable while cutting down on the carbon emissions. From January 2024, farmers and landowners have the opportunity to be financially incentivised for managing lowland peat through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). The option for lowland peat, whereby water levels in cropped or arable peat soils are raised to near the land surface, would pay £1,409 per hectare. In grassland the payment would be £1,381 per hectare.

A multitude of uses 

As an example, farmers could deliberately manage water levels to provide a suitable environment for the growth of common reeds which can then be harvested for roof thatching. Additionally, the reeds could be used to maintain the health and productivity of the wetland ecosystem as they provide habitats, food and shelter for a range of animals and species. There are also projects underway to look at the practical and economical opportunities of growing different crops on peatland, and with investigations and research, opportunities could develop for the future.

It is, however, important to note that the focus of paludiculture is not only on food crops but also on other economically viable plants that can thrive in wetland conditions. The emphasis is on sustainable land use and reducing carbon emissions.

Further information

Contact Jordan Rimmer or Kelly Hewson-Fisher