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Roots & Reeds
New
38 students
Roots & Reeds
Farming for Food, Fibre, and a Wetter Future
Created byGreen Restoration Ireland
Last updated 4/2026
English
What you'll learn
- Understand and explain the case for paludiculture
- Identify key wetland crops and their market applications
- Apply practical harvesting, processing, and site management techniques
- Navigate the funding, regulatory, and commercial landscape
Explore related topics
Course content
5 sections • 5 lectures • 1h 13m total length
Requirements
- This course is designed to be accessible to a wide audience, including farmers, landowners, students, conservationists, and anyone interested in peatland restoration and sustainable land use. As such, the requirements are minimal, but to ensure learners get the most out of the course, the following are recommended:
- 1.) Interest in Climate Action, Land Use, or Biodiversity : No prior experience is required, but a general curiosity about environmental restoration, farming, or climate solutions will be helpful.
- 2.) Basic Internet Access and Digital Literacy : Learners should have access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone and be comfortable navigating online learning platforms like Udemy.
- 3.) Willingness to Learn at Your Own Pace : The course is self-directed and flexible, so learners should be motivated to complete modules and quizzes at their own speed.
- 4.) Optional: Involvement with Peatland or Agricultural Land : While not required, individuals with direct experience in farming or land management may find the course especially relevant and practical.
Description
In this course, Roots & Reeds: Farming for Food, Fibre, and a Wetter Future, you will hear directly from two leading wetland practitioners, each offering field-tested insight into the practical realities of paludiculture and sustainable wetland management at farm scale.
Richard Starling — a working reed cutter from the Norfolk Broads — shares deep knowledge of the UK reed and sedge market, sustainable cutting practices, and the logistical realities of harvesting in remote wetland terrain. Aldert van Weeren — a paludiculture innovator from the Netherlands — offers a European perspective on rehydrating peat at scale, from trialling cattail, cranberries, willow, and reed on rewetted Dutch peatlands to the crop processing, drying infrastructure, and water management solutions that make wet peat soils productive.
Through recorded on-farm training sessions delivered as part of the Peatlands for Prosperity project, this course will guide you through:
The UK reed and sedge market, harvesting methods, and the future of thatching as a sustainable industry
How paludiculture crops are being trialled and scaled on rewetted peatlands in the Netherlands
Innovative approaches to crop processing, drying, and water management on wet peat soils
The machinery and infrastructure solutions making wetland harvesting viable at farm scale
The policy, funding, and market landscapes shaping the future of paludiculture across Europe
Whether you are a farmer, land manager, conservationist, or researcher, this course delivers honest, grounded insight into where paludiculture and wetland harvesting stand today — the opportunities, the obstacles, and what comes next.
Funding & Acknowledgements
The webinars and on-farm training workshops recorded and delivered through Udemy are made possible through co-funding by the Government of Ireland and the European Union through the EU Just Transition Fund Programme 2021-2027. This funding allows Green Restoration Ireland to provide independent, science-based education to farmers, land managers, and the wider public at no cost.
Who this course is for:
- Farmers and landowners interested in exploring sustainable land use options, including raising water tables and wetland agriculture (paludiculture).
- Community members living near peatlands who want to understand the ecological and economic value of restoration.
- Environmental professionals, students, and volunteers seeking to deepen their understanding of nature-based climate solutions.
- Individuals unable to attend our on-farm training events at one of our showcase farms in Ireland due to distance, cost, or physical limitations who still want to participate and learn.
- On-farm training participants who want to continue learning and earn additional certificates through structured online modules.