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  • 7 months ago
Ireland's Magic Word: How ‘Paludiculture' is Transforming Peatlands and Farmers' Futures

“Farmers can learn to find new income streams while fighting pollution”. The director of the Peatlands for Prosperity programme Douglas McMillan explains how paludiculture is turning high-emission peats into an economic opportunity.

In partnership with the European Commission

READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/01/05/irelands-magic-word-how-paludiculture-is-transforming-peatlands-and-farmers-futures

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00:01We have two farms established.
00:03The first polluted culture trials on farms in Ireland
00:06and we're trialing the different crops that will grow well in wet peat.
00:14Traditionally, farmers would drain the peat and grow things.
00:16That creates all the environmental problems.
00:18We need to see what can grow in wet peat.
00:20So we've set up these two farms and we're growing a range of things,
00:23herbs, vegetables, fruits, materials for horticulture, for building and so on.
00:28And we bring other peatland farmers here
00:31and we show them all the different things that they can grow.
00:36We survey the peatlands for the farmers
00:38and the peatland code gives us indications of the emissions you expect from those areas.
00:43So this is Cutover Woodland.
00:45So predicted emissions from here when it's dry is 12 tonnes of CO2 per hectare per year.
00:50So of course when it's wet, that's 11 to 12 tonnes avoided.
00:53And the kind of assumption is we say it's 100 euros a tonne of CO2.
00:57That's an indicative income stream for that type of habitat.
01:04The technical challenges are it's never been done before.
01:07It's all learning, so we have to try it.
01:09It's unique. A lot of this work has been done in the UK and Europe,
01:12but it's focused on specific plants.
01:14But here we want to give the farmers the options.
01:16So we're trialing a whole range of things up to 20 different varieties of plants and trees here.
01:23Some plants are more difficult than others, so the farmer can pick what they want.
01:28So we've given them the options.
01:29So we've given them the options.
01:30So we've given them the options.
01:35Let's see.
01:36To those of you.
01:39I do think that would happen.
01:42On the end.
01:43And you know what?
01:46Ask the millils.
01:47We can love the melting the virus
01:48Then give them theses.
01:49Only the food.
01:50It's true.
01:52Neither.
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