DFG funding for research on historical farmland in Ireland

The project “Geopedological Fingerprints of Raised Beds in Northwest Ireland – A Preliminary Study to Understand the Long-Term Effects of Historical Agricultural Landscape Forms on Today's Ecosystems” received €76,092 in funding from the German Research Foundation. 

Starting in April 2026, raised beds (comparable to historical Wölbäcker in Germany) will be examined morphologically using medium-resolution UAV-based digital terrain models and soil science over a project period of two years.  The aim of the pilot study is to obtain initial reliable information on the legacy effects of this historical type of field cultivation on today's soil properties and ecosystems.

Publication on this topic:

A. Bonhage, T. Raab, Drohan, P.J., Schneider, A., Raab, A. (2025): An initial geopedological survey and description of historic raised beds in north-western Ireland. Geomorphology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2025.109778