Iris Veentjer

Rietgoed, developments from
the cat tail plant

The Netherlands consists largely of peat meadow areas: beautiful regions that are currently used for traditional agriculture. In these areas, groundwater is pumped away to dry the land. This artificial low groundwater level leads to oxidation of the peat, resulting in extra CO2 emissions and soil subsidence. To reduce these emissions, we are exploring alternative agricultural practices. One of these is wet cultivation: growing plants that thrive in water. The bullrush - also known as the reed mace - is one of them. Iris Veentjer shows what we an we do with it.