The term comes from “palus,’” the Latin word for ‘swamp’ and “culture,” or cultivation, agriculture.  Under the EU Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), it is defined as the “productive land use of wet and rewetted peatlands that preserves the peat soil and thereby minimizes CO2 emissions and subsidence.”

The rewetting is usually achieved by raising the water table to produce wetland conditions.  This helps to reduce the amount of carbon emissions.

The term has gained usage with the emphasis on climate change and reduction of  CO2 emissions, but the practice of using wetlands for cultivation of products is seen in the long tradition of managing and harvesting reed to provide thatch for houses.  Other paludiculture products include Bulrush, or Typha, as a building material or bioenergy crop, as well as farmed sphagnum for biomedical uses.

Some further ideas to explore on Paludiculture:

Where is the nearest land to you being used for paludiculture?

What crops are being grown there?

Identify the market for these products and whether they provide a profit for the farmers.

Sources:

Jim Milner and Judith Stuart, “Paludiculture – the future of farming on peat soils,” Natural England (30 Sept 2022). bit.ly/3ul1ZXM

“A definition of paludiculture in the CAP,” Wetlands International. bit.ly/3OhDRw4

“Wet agriculture – a tool in the climate action toolbox,” International Union for Conservation of Nature (29 April 2020).  bit.ly/3UgvPY4