Wet farming: the Cambridgeshire farming experiment hoping to help the planet
Watch Stuart Leithes' report
Wildlife experts in Cambridgeshire are hoping a new trial could help to reduce climate change emissions caused by farming.
The experiment, which is being run by the Wildlife Trust, aims to help protect peat soils by stopping them drying out and degrading.
Farming on peat-rich land which has been drained causes it to break down and release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere - contributing to climate change.
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Long, expanding ditches have become a feature of the fenland farm. But at Holme Fen near Peterborough, these channels are not for drainage. They're here to add water to the peat soil, helping to protect it.
The process is call "wet farming" - described as a more sustainable way to grow crops in peat rich farmland.
Current farming methods used on peat-rich soil causes it to degrade, which then released carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The peat is currently disappearing at up to 3cm per year. The water helps to reduce that degradation.
As part of the experimental scheme, called "Water Works", the trust has been trialling a range of crops which grow in wetter conditions, including reeds and bullrushes which can be used for insulating buildings.
They'll also be planting Sphagnum moss which can used as a peat alternative for growing crops.
The trust are aware that wet farming doesn't work for every farmer, but they think it's one of the best ways to reduce the dramatic loss of peat in the fens.