Impacts of paludiculture systems

Wetter farming is the process of raising the water table on drained farmland and growing crops which thrive in these conditions. The aim of wetter farming practices is to reduce the carbon emissions from drained land, whilst keeping it financially viable for the farmer or landowner. However there are a number of practical and policy considerations that need to be taken into account when thinking about implementing wetter farming.

This animation introduces some of the considerations that need to be taken if you are thinking about wetter farming.

By re-wetting the peat it is possible to reduce GHG emissions whilst still growing crops which are suited to these wetter conditions. In this short animation Lancs WT show how they are re-wetting a drained agricultural peat field to grow a crop of bulrushes.

Drained agricultural lowland peat accounts for 1.5% of the UKs total GHG emissions while supporting 40% of the country’s vegetable production. Paludiculture offers a potential alternative to conventional agriculture that combines profitable crop production with reduced environmental impacts.

Journal of Sustainable and Organic Agricultural Systems 69:5–8