Sed ut perspiciatis unde. The potential for Paludiculture – production of profitable crops on rewetted peat – is to be discussed by NIAB and the Broads Authority in the Agri-TechE Innovation Hub at the Royal Norfolk Show. Director of Agri-TechE Dr Belinda Clarke says: “We need more data and evidence to underpin land management decisions on these valuable and fragile soils to provide solutions that work for stakeholders, so that no-one is disproportionately impacted by future decisions.”Despite the long history of Norfolk reed, over 97% of the reed used for thatching in the UK is imported due to the loss of wetlands and a decline in reed harvesting. Reeds and other fibrous plants can also be used to make a range of other sustainable construction materials with multiple benefits – a thatched roof is a long term carbon store.Andrea Kelly is the Environment Policy Adviser for the Broads Authority, where she focuses on developing ecological and land management strategy for the Broads National Park, including supporting the development of the Environment Land Management scheme.Andrea explains the context: “The Lowland Agricultural Peatland Task Force report, to be launched soon, sets out to unlock opportunities for all those farming on lowland peat to do so in a more sustainable way.”She cites one project at Wrights Farm in Lancashire which is trialling growing a commercial celery crop on re-wetted peat. It is estimated that for every 10cm increase in the water table, there is a corresponding reduction in emissions of 3 tonnes of CO2 equivalents per hectare.“The science suggests that even a small change in water level management can significantly slow the loss-rate of peat soil, and so, in some landscapes, we want to make it possible to raise water levels above where they are penned currently to farm in a more climate-resilient way,” she says.Novel farming systems are also being trialled in Norfolk. Anthony Gardiner of G’s Fresh comments: “G’s’ Norfolk farms have some of the deepest and most productive peat as this was some of the last to be drained after the Second World War. This land is unique as it is sub irrigated, using a system of dykes and pipes under the field to manipulate the water table. Evidently this is not appropriate for all soils, so we are actively engaged in discussions about peat soil management and investigations about water table management to reduce carbon emissions, while also gaining a better understanding of the implications for food production.”On marginal land that is currently not suitable for horticulture, there is an opportunity to transition to paludiculture, Andrea says. She continues: “The Horsey Estate in Norfolk, as a contrast, is growing wetland crops on marginal land and aiming to use these for filtering and cleaning water as well as for construction materials.”Water Works is a two-year project piloting paludiculture with field scale trials in Great Fen. It has identified a number of crops with potential market appeal (see table). These are just a few of a growing range of opportunities for wetland crops across the region, if drainage rates were slowed to reduce peat loss.The Broadland Futures Initiative is also working with local people to agree a framework for future flood risk management. Avoiding the high land subsidence levels of around 1-2cm each year that occur when peatlands are drained may directly help farmers and land managers. The lower the land gets through subsidence the harder the water pumps need to work to manage the flood and drainage waters, which is becoming more expensive with the rising cost of electricity.Andrea comments that the multiple benefits gained from raising the water table constitutes a public good and suggests that funding should be made available to farmers exploring this option.Within the Nature for Climate Fund, Natural England is delivering the Paludiculture Exploration Fund (PEF) for England. A range of PEF projects around England will focus on tackling the barriers to developing commercially viable paludiculture on lowland peat soils in England over the next two years. Visit the Paludiculture Community at paludiculture.org.uk to find out more.The Broads Authority is managing wet farming and wetland restoration projects and engaging with farmers about landscape adaptation in the UK’s largest protected wetland.The Paludiculture Exploration Fund will soon announce the successful projects to be developing elements of paludiculture in England.Water Works Project https://www.greatfen.org.uk/big-ideas/wet-farmingFenland Soils Project https://www.fenlandsoil.org/Paludiculture trial at Horsey Estate – Reed, Interreg VB North Sea Region Programme: https://northsearegion.eu/canape/paludiculture/reed/Source link Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.By using this form you agree with the storage and handling of your data. * Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() );Tech dedicated news site to equip you with all tech related stuff.I agree that my submitted data is being collected and stored.✉️ Send us an emailTechToday © 2023. 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