Practice Abstract - Research and innovation

Sustainable Wetland Farming in Donaumoos – use and marketing of wetland crops. (Network: Germany | ARGE Donaumoos)

Farmers in Donaumoos in Germany are working with rewetting of cultivated land and peatland. The wetland farming (paludiculture) is driven by the desire to protect carbon rich soild, increase carbon sequestration, and increase ecosystem services such as bidiversity and water quality AND at the same time create a financially vaible and resilience mixed farming system.
Wetland crops can be used in various applications, from producing furniture boards and insulation materials to creating organic packaging. For many farmers, paludiculture provides an opportunity to diversify their income sources as it opens up new markets and revenue streams. This can reduce dependency on single crops and enhance overall resilience to economic fluctuations.
However, to make paludiculture economically viable, local processing facilities should be established. In Donaumoos In Donaumoos, sedges and reed canary grass have been processed into various building panels and insulation materials. Additionally, they can be utilized for making pellets or pressed into fence posts mixed with plastic. Particularly, the production of grass building panels has garnered significant interest from the construction industry, and there are already buyers in the region. However, it's important to note that these are currently only test runs, and mass production has not yet begun. With the support of local government and the Ministry of the Environment, efforts are being made to establish a production facility in the region. This initiative aims to create a market for farmers and motivate them to transition to paludiculture and thereby adopt environmentally friendly peatland management practices.
Source Project
MIXED - Multi-actor and transdisciplinary development of efficient and resilient MIXED farming and agroforestry systems
Ongoing | 2020-2025
Main funding source
Horizon 2020 (EU Research and Innovation Programme)
Geographical location
Denmark
Project details

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