Deutschland-Nederland Paludi & Markt

In Germany and the Netherlands, it is desired
that thousands of hectares of peatlands are rewetted in the coming years to prevent
oxidation of the peat. Greenhouse gas emissions from peat oxidation are
substantial: in DE. the emission is about 51 Mton CO2 eq or 5.7% of total
emissions; in NL. it is about 7 Mton CO2eq or 4% of total emissions.
Humidification slows peat degradation. To make the choice of humidification
attractive to farmers, a balanced revenue model is needed. There is limited experience with
growing crops on plots with a high water table (paludiculture). Such
cultivation can develop if production matches market demand. In this project,
the emphasis is on the cultivation of cattail for substrate production. This
market is still largely dependent on (imported) peat (excavated peat), but the
producers will switch to other products that reduce peat use in the coming
years. The market (demand) is extensive, Germany and the Netherlands together
process about 13 million m3 of peat per year.  The Paludi & Market project focuses on the coherence of two aspects:
scaling up cattail cultivation as an agricultural activity and the use of
cattail as a peat substitute in substrate production. This involves abandoning
the small-scale, experimental phase; the work will take place in a relevant
production environment with market parties – this development fits TRL level 6
and 7.  It concerns concrete development
steps such as: the optimization of cattail production; choice of the cattail
variety; optimisation of the inundation process; monitoring of: water quality,
biodiversity and CO2 capture; optimization of substrate production for
commercial use; the optimization of storage and processing of the cattail
material; alignment with customer specifications. With ample attention for
dissemination and communication.