The Palus Demos project is bringing together 26 partners from across Europe to provide the real world data, research and evidence that is needed by farmers, landowners and policy makers to help get wetter farming (also known as paludiculture) from “interesting idea, let’s trial it” to creating a realistic, profitable, productive and most of all sustainable way to manage our precious lowland agricultural peatlands, both now and in the future.

Wetter farming is the practice of restoring the naturally higher water table of peatlands which have previously been drained and converted to agricultural land, and then growing commercial crops that thrive in these wetter conditions. This helps to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions which are released when carbon rich peatlands are drained, but by developing ways to keep these areas farmed means that farmers and landowners keep an income stream, and the land remains productive into the future.

Blog: What is wetter farming?

Birch House Farm wetter grazing trial

• Sitting right next door to our Winmarleigh carbon farm a previously drained field has been re-wet and will be used to trial conservation grazing at a higher water table.
• Data will be collected from the site including greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental data along with close monitoring of the livestock health and productivity.
• This will be used to feed into the development of a business case for the potential sustainable grazing of peatlands.

Little Woolden Moss

• Areas of this former peat extraction site will be used to conduct mesocosm trials (small scale controlled trial areas) which allow us to test how different environmental factors impact water table management.
• Existing trials will be continued looking at both sphagnum farming and companion planting, where different species are planted in combination to rapidly cover bare peat and maximise carbon storage, for carbon farming models.

Sphagnum farming

• Partners BeadaMoss® and Wright Farm Produce will be trialling farming a four hectare field of sphagnum moss, which can be used as a replacement for peat in horticulture.
• Greenhouse gas emissions will be monitored from the site which will be re-wet using overhead irrigation rather than by raising the water table.

Moss Side Farm

• Owned and run by Natural England, this series of farm fields in Greater Manchester will be used to run a series of wetter farming trials, including community crop growing for carbon farming.
• First steps will include baseline surveying of the site to identify potential crop choices and plan crop cycles, along with trialling nutrient management methods.
• Topsoil burial and other nutrient management trials will also be investigated.

Our international partners are also undertaking several exciting trials. In Ireland former peat extraction sites will be transformed into sphagnum farms. In the Netherlands the stalks and leaves of bulrushes will be used to create fibre board and insulation which will be used to restore a historic house that it sited right next to an existing bulrush wetter farming trial.

Over the span of the four-year project data and knowledge will be shared with both project partners and the wider community to help bring wetter farming from trial to reality, helping to protect our peatlands and our environment into the future.

Meet some of our partners

Palus Demos co-ordinator Niall Ó Brolcháin, from the University of Galway, said: "It is great to take part in a European project that demonstrates new farming practices and should offer better incomes to farmers and rural communities while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the environment at the same time. We need to stop preaching at farmers while tying them up in red tape and to start presenting them with realistic, new, high value opportunities."

Dr Chris Field, Reader in Environmental Ecology at Manchester Metropolitan University and UK project lead, said “Palus Demos brings together partners from across multiple sectors including academia, business, farmers, Wildlife Trusts and government agencies. We’ll be working together to evidence the environmental benefits, develop growing techniques and produce the business cases that will support peatland farmers in moving to a more sustainable future”.

Dr Stephanie Evers, Reader in Wetland Ecology and Biogeochemistry at Liverpool John Moores University said: “These novel trials of wetter agricultural peat land management at scale will allow us to explore the potential for greenhouse gas reduction, soil and water pollution mitigation and even how rewetted peat soil may reduce landscape flooding. For decades, peatland farmers have drained and battled with flood prone fields only to suffer crop yield losses due to peat subsidence and climate change-altered weather. This project is an opportunity to value these areas for what they are and create sustainable agriculture to reduce emissions and help farmers to grow an exciting range of food and non-food crops.”

Chris Evans, Senior Officer National Nature Reserves at Natural England, said: “We are pleased to be a UK partner in this important project which puts peatlands at its heart. Nature is absolutely critical for our infrastructure, health, economy and security. Using paludiculture is part of our longer-term vision and ambition for lowland peat landscapes. This work allows us to use Moss Side Farm as a centre for science and research, focussing on lowland peat management and restoration.”