- Nine varieties of rice are being trialled in the Cambridgeshire Fens, including risotto, basmati and sushi.
- Scientists and farmers are exploring the best ways to tackle climate change, food security and nature recovery.
- From risotto to sushi, UK-produced rice could become a staple in our diets in the future.
Trials of growing rice and other food and bioenergy crops in rewetted peat soils in the Cambridgeshire Fens are part of a project which brings together scientists from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and local farmers. Its aim is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands that have been degraded due to agricultural use while maintaining food production and farmers’ livelihoods.
The Cambridgeshire Fens produce crops worth around £1.2 billion per year and account for a third of our fresh vegetables. However, this has required draining these wetlands, resulting in the loss of up to 12mm of peat every year, thereby releasing carbon that has been built up and stored in these wetland soils over thousands of years. The crops grown on them therefore can have among the highest greenhouse gas emissions per calorie in the world.
The Fens originally held around 150,000 hectares of peatland. As a result of drainage for agriculture, much of this peat has been lost, leaving just a thin peaty topsoil. Approximately 24,000 hectares of peat are thought to remain, but this area is continuing to decrease.
Different crops trialled
UKCEH is carrying out trials of a range of crops for food and bioenergy on rewetted peat to see if they can be grown in waterlogged conditions in the UK and investigating the benefits and trade-offs of different land uses of these sites. They include crops new to the UK such as rice as well as traditional produce such as lettuce, bioenergy crops such as hybrid willow and biodiversity options such as wet woodland.
Nine varieties of cold hardy rice, suited to the climate of the Cambridgeshire Fens, are being grown on the rewetted peat. The rice varieties selected come from around the world, including Brazil, Italy and the Philippines and include arborio (risotto), Dellmati (basmati) and Koshihikari (sushi) rice.
Professor Richard Pywell, the lead UKCEH scientist on the project, said: “By its very nature, this is an experiment and so it will be interesting to see how the traditional produce and novel crops like rice perform on the rewetted peat soils alongside other land use options such as biomass production and habitat for nature. We hope to be monitoring the site over the coming years to assess the long-term viability and resilience of these land use options to a changing climate.
“Our detailed measurements of the rewetted peats will include greenhouse gas emissions, carbon stocks, water use, crop yield and the impacts on nature. These will help farmers and policymakers decide on the best path to take for the Cambridgeshire Fens for livelihoods, the environment and nature.”
Need to adapt
Craig and Sarah-Jane Taylor farm the land near Ely where the trials are taking place. Sarah commented: “Our Fenland soils are some of the most productive in the country but are very susceptible to the changing climate and we need to adapt the crops we grow and how we grow them.
“The trials are critical to understanding the practicalities of how we might go about large-scale rewetting of peat, including its impact on yields and farm income, as well as the potential wider benefits for wildlife and flood prevention.”
The rice seeds were supplied by the USDA Agricultural Research Service and propagated in UKCEH’s glasshouse in Oxfordshire. The young plants were transplanted into four specially constructed mini paddy fields on the re-wetted peat trial site in early summer with the first harvest expected in October.
The rice trials research is part of the AgZero+ project, which is jointly funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).
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Media enquiries
For interviews and further information, please contact Gill Ormrod, Senior External Communications Manager at UKCEH, via gilorm@ceh.ac.uk or +44 (0)7920 295384. Visit this dropbox for access to a short video and images of the rice growing and field trials site. B-roll footage is also available.
Notes to Editors
Varieties of rice being trialled
| Name | Source | Type of rice |
|---|---|---|
| IAC 600 | Sao Paulo, Brazil | Black |
| Dellmati | Louisiana, USA | Basmati |
| Osogovka | North Macedonia | Sticky |
| Panda | Italy | Medium grain |
| Estrela | Valle del Cauca, Colombia | Basmati |
| Koshihikari | Hukui, Japan | Sushi |
| IR 58 | Calabarzon, Philippines | Semi-dwarf |
| Vialone Nano | Lazio, Italy | Risotto |
| Arborio | Lombardia, Italy | Risotto |
Key rice facts
- Rice is one of the most consumed foods in the world.
- All rice originates from the grass species Oryza sativa.
- Rice was first domesticated in China and Africa.
- A source of complex carbohydrates.
Further information
This project is part of a wider partnership, underway in the Fens between UKCEH, Defra and Fenland farmers. It is exploring the trade-offs associated with a wide range of future land use options for rewetted and drained peats – including existing and novel crops, bioenergy and nature.
The Fens, referred to as ‘the breadbasket of Britain’ provide a fifth of the nation’s crops and a third of its vegetables, with 80,000 people employed in the agricultural food chain.
There is more information about peatlands and how they have been degraded due to human activities in our factsheet.
A separate paper published earlier this year provides additional information about the suitability of future crops under a changing UK climate. Read more here and also listen to the accompanying podcast episode of Counting the Earth.
About the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH)
The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) is a leading independent research institute dedicated to understanding and transforming how we interact with the natural world.
With over 600 researchers, we tackle the urgent environmental challenges of our time, such as climate change and biodiversity loss. Our evidence-based insights empower governments, businesses, and communities to make informed decisions, shaping a future where both nature and people thrive.
www.ceh.ac.uk / ukceh.bsky.social / LinkedIn: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
About the AgZero+ programme
AgZero+ is an ambitious five-year research programme supporting the UK’s transition towards domestic food production that is sustainable, carbon-neutral and has a positive effect on nature. The programme brings together a community of researchers and farmers to evaluate innovative farming methods and to define practical pathways to achieving “net zero plus” arable and livestock farm systems. The project is undertaken in partnership with Rothamsted Research, British Geological Survey, Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the National Centre for Earth Observation.