De Buffelbes: Polderrijst

Who are they?

The Buffelbes is committed to increasing biodiversity in the peat meadow area: growing various crops such as cranberries and rice on wet soils without fertilizers and pesticides in a new agricultural system.

Aim

The application is for the project ‘Polder Rice’: the establishment of large strips of (unsprayed) rice between the grasslands used for cattle and among the cranberry crops, with the goal of cultivating rice on a large scale. A rice field keeps the soil moist, thereby maintaining a high groundwater level and preventing oxygen from reaching the carbon in the underlying peat layer. This helps reduce carbon emissions.

In addition, it promotes greater biodiversity, attracting insects such as dragonflies and aquatic animals like frogs. Meadow birds benefit from the abundance of insects and can also use the rice fields as shelter from birds of prey or when the farmer is mowing the grass nearby.