Rewetting and simultaneous (agricultural) economic utilisation of moors – that is the goal of the “Alliance of Pioneers”. Together with 13 other companies from various economic sectors, toom will initiate pilot projects in the future in close cooperation with agriculture and science and build scalable value chains based on Paludi biomass. Federal Minister of Agriculture Cem Özdemir presented the toMOORow initiative with a grant of almost 1.8 million euros at the official launch event in Berlin (30 April).
If peatlands are drained by humans for agricultural use, for example, they release large amounts of carbon dioxide – around 53 million tonnes of CO2 equivalents per year in Germany alone. If drainage is stopped, the previous cultivation is no longer possible and farmers lose one of their sources of income. This is a dilemma that the toMOORow initiative is tackling together with the “Alliance of Pioneers”. Under the umbrella of the initiative, well-known commercial enterprises will pool their innovative strength and market significance in the coming years in the interests of climate and biodiversity protection in order to test the use of renewable, regional raw materials from paludiculture and actively contribute to the valorisation of paludiculture biomass in the future.
Agriculture and forestry on rewetted land – known as paludiculture – has been proven to offer considerable potential for climate and species protection. At the same time, paludiculture enables alternative sources of income for farmers and the provision of regional, fossil-free raw material resources for companies in the paper, packaging, construction, insulation and wood-based materials industries, among others.
Sustainability and climate protection have played a central role for us at toom for years. As a result, we will be peat-free in our branded and own-brand soils for hobby gardeners from next year. Participating in the ‘Alliance of Pioneers’ is therefore a logical next step for us and we are proud to be part of the initiative,
says Dominique Rotondi, Managing Director Purchasing and Logistics and responsible for sustainability management at toom.
Rewetted moors are our natural allies in active climate protection – but this is only possible if we find solutions with those affected. It must be worthwhile for agriculture to join in and farm in a climate-friendly way. Many farming families have been living on moorland for generations; their ancestors worked hard to reclaim the land – we shouldn’t forget that. Wet utilisation in paludiculture is interesting if the biomass and products can be sold on the market. Value chains need to be adapted or completely rebuilt for this – this is where the processing industry can make a decisive contribution with its expertise.
The toMOORow PaludiAlliance, which is funded by the BMEL via the Agency for Renewable Resources, supports this initiative by companies and connects them with the agricultural sector. This is how paludiculture can succeed, explains Cem Özdemir, Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture, who also handed over the BMEL funding notification to representatives of the Michael Otto Environmental Foundation, the Michael Succow Foundation and the University of Greifswald during the event.
He received support from Steffi Lemke, Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV): “Bringing peatland rewetting to the area quickly is essential for climate protection. We are simultaneously protecting the climate and creating unique habitats for plants and animals. In addition to peatland wilderness, we therefore also need many wet peatlands in the cultural landscape. Farmers are therefore dependent on creating a reliable and sustainable source of income with new forms of cultivation, such as paludiculture. In this way, the harvest from wet peatland management can be used to produce marketable products. As the German government, we want to initiate and promote this process in a targeted manner. The Natural Climate Protection Action Programme is a very important building block for peatland rewetting.
The Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) is supporting the PaludiAllianz joint project via the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e. V. (FNR) with funding totalling 1,798,677 euros over the next three years. The money will be made available from the special fund ‘Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF)’. The sustainable actions of the Alliance of Pioneers and toMOORow contribute to six Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations.
