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Drought-hit fenland soils in Cambridgeshire are leaking 112 times as much carbon as nearby fields not on peat soil, suggests a study. Fields leak carbon as drought threatens soil

• Lack of rain degrades fenland fields

• Big impact on vegetable production

• Concern for local farm businesses

Drought-hit fenland soils in Cambridgeshire are leaking 112 times as much carbon as nearby fields not on peat soil, suggests a study.

Lack of rain has dried out vegetable-growing fenland soils which are releasing on average 1344t of CO2 per km2 per year, suggests a new analysis of government data by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU).

East Anglia remains in drought following lack of rain last year, according to the Environment Agency. The Fens are one of the UK’s driest regions, receiving a similar rainfall amount of rainfall to parts of the Middle East.

Degradation

Dry peat soils release their carbon to the atmosphere and are exposed to wind and rain, blowing and washing them away. This degradation means they are not as good at storing scarce water when it falls on them, says the ECIU.

Some parts of the Fens may start to run out of water in as little as five years – worrying for an area where food production supports 80,000 jobs, generates £3bn per year and produces one third of England’s vegetables.

ECIU land use analyst Matt Williams said said: “The bedrock of our food security is our soil. Supporting farmers to preserve their soils, plant trees and hedgerows to reduce erosion from wind and extreme rainfall will ultimately protect our yields.”

He added: “Rewarding farmers for ploughing less often or for growing crops that absorb nutrients from the atmosphere and return them to the soil are simple steps in the right direction.

Food security

“To ensure UK food security in the face of climate change we may need to look at other parts of the country to grow vegetables. These are complex issues and more research is needed to understand the dynamics and the solutions.”

The government’s 25 Year Environment Plan for England set a target for all peat soils to be sustainably managed by 2030. As announced in 2018, the Government’s ELM scheme would incentivise farmers to take measures to improve soil health.

The plan states that all soils must be sustainably managed by 2030. And the government’s peat action plan for England established a Lowland Agricultural Peat Task Force to examine the challenges facing these soils.

Farmers are facing additional costs for fertilisers which have risen because of a surge in the price of gas which is used to manufacture these chemicals, leading some growers to choose not to plant crops.