Wetter farming: how bog restoration can please both farmers and wildlife

A celery plant at the Rindle paludiculture trial. Photograph: Lancashire Wildlife Trust

With 85,000 tiny green celery plants glistening brightly against dark, peaty soil, the field in Lancashire looks as unremarkable as any other.

But this crop is a pioneering “wetter farming” trial that could demonstrate how degraded peatlands can be restored to capture carbon and boost biodiversity while providing a livelihood for farmers.