Fenland fields leaking carbon emissions as drought threatens soil

Fields of peat soils used to grow crops in Fenland and Cambridgeshire local authorities have been releasing on average 1344 CO2 tonnes per km2 per year. The statistics suggest that they are losing carbon quickly meaning they are becoming degraded.

Dry peat soils release their carbon to the atmosphere and are exposed to wind and rain, blowing and washing them away [1]. This degradation means they are not as good at storing scarce water when it falls on them. The Fens are one of the driest parts of the UK, receiving a similar amount of rainfall to some parts of the Middle East. Some parts of the Fens may start to run out of water in as little as five years [2]. East Anglia remains in drought following last year’s unprecedented heatwave and lower than average rainfalls.

The food chain in the Fens supports 80,000 jobs, generates £3 billion per year and produces a third of England’s vegetables. [3]

Matt Williams, land use analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit, 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. 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. 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 has 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 [4]. The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan stated that all soils would be sustainably managed by 2030 [5]. The Government’s England Peat Action Plan [6] 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 farmers in the UK choosing not to plant crops [7].