Ireland: farming with water to restore peatlands and support rural livelihoods

Farming with water to restore peatlands and support rural livelihoods

Ireland’s peatlands are among the country’s most important natural assets; they store large amounts of carbon and support unique ecosystems However, decades of draining for agriculture and peat extraction have left many of these landscapes degraded and emitting greenhouse gases. A new EU-supported initiative in the Midlands is showing how a different approach to farming can help reverse this trend while creating new opportunities for rural commu…

Ireland: farming with water to restore peatlands and support rural livelihoods

An EU-supported pilot in the Midlands shows how wet-peat farming can reduce emissions while supporting farmers through new income models. In Ireland’s Midlands, the Peatlands for Prosperity project is testing paludiculture, a land-use approach designed for wet peat soils that offers an alternative to traditional peat drainage. Led by Green Restoration Ireland and supported with EU support from the Just Transition Fund, the initiative has launche…