The purifying power of paludiculture
Mesocosm experiment with a sustainable form of agriculture
What do we see here?
Nutrient-rich water flows through these pond basins with their peaty soil and plants. The flow occurs at three different speeds to ensure a variation in the residence time of the water and the provision of nutrients. Native plants that like having ‘wet feet’ grow in these ponds: broadleaf cattail (Typha latifolia), narrowleaf cattail (Typha angustifolia) and reed (Phragmites australis). This kind of experimental outdoor system, which offers the opportunity to research a natural environment under controlled conditions, is known as a ‘mesocosm’.
What's this pilot for?
Here we are testing the purifying action of a new form of sustainable agriculture: wet cultivation or paludiculture. Paludiculture can be applied in areas with high water tables, such as peatlands. The cultivated crops make a positive contribution because they counteract soil subsidence and CO2 emissions from peat soils that were previously drained for agricultural purposes. Moreover paludiculture boosts biodiversity.
The wet crops can for instance be used to produce animal feed or insulation material. Paludiculture therefore has the potential of developing into a new business model and delivering several ecosystem services. Here we are investigating the water balance, evapotranspiration and biomass production of the cultivated crops.
Who is behind this?
The pilot is part of the national wet cultivation research programme, ‘Nationaal Onderzoeksprogramma Natte Teelten’, within VIP-NL (2022-2025). The client is Landschap Noord-Holland. KWR is researching the water quality and quantity in wet cultivation.
