How was new farmland created in the Emsland region?

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Lower Saxony New Town Hall, Hannover, Ger.

In the Emsland region of Lower Saxony, the creation of new farmland has been a long-term effort to reclaim vast peat bogs. Since 1928, this process has involved several key methods:12

Drainage and Removal: Large areas of bog were reclaimed by draining the land and removing the peat.1
Soil Improvement: Farmers created productive soil by mixing the remaining peat with the underlying sand.12
Fertilization: The soil was further enriched using artificial fertilizers and manure sourced from livestock raised on capital-intensive, technologically advanced farms.12

While these practices successfully expanded agricultural land for crops like rye and potatoes, they have faced scrutiny regarding their impact on groundwater and the ethical conditions under which livestock are raised.12