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the Beyond Peat project

Reimagining soilless substrates

Our mission is to advance soilless substrate systems and components that meet the future needs of specialty crop growers.

Our Research

The Beyond Peat project addresses the growing challenges posed by shrinking and increasingly scrutinised supplies of sphagnum peat moss.

A transdisciplinary approach to a critical industry challenge

The Beyond Peat project brings together experts in soilless substrates, sociology, economics, and environmental science to tackle one of the most urgent challenges facing specialty crop growers: the shrinking availability and increasing scrutiny of sphagnum peat moss. The team uses systems-thinking and team-science approaches to guide all research, management, and outreach decisions.

Why peat access is becoming increasingly uncertain

Peat is the foundation of most soilless production systems, but growers now face serious uncertainty. Limited harvests, poor weather, environmental concerns, and growing public pressure reduce access to peat and prompt some distributors to phase it out entirely. At the same time, demand for soilless production continues to increase, leaving growers with few research-backed alternatives.

Responding with a systems-based solution

Because these social, political, and environmental pressures evolve rapidly, solving the peat shortage requires a true systems-based approach. The Beyond Peat team includes specialists in materials engineering, horticulture, substrate development, agricultural economics, life-cycle assessment, and stakeholder sociology. Their combined expertise supports the development of viable, scalable alternative substrates that growers can adopt with confidence.

Integrating grower and stakeholder perspectives

Sociologists and value-chain experts analyse stakeholder perceptions to guide the development of new substrate materials and production systems. Economists and life-cycle analysts evaluate the financial and environmental impacts of each option to ensure real-world feasibility.

Turning research into usable resources for growers

Science communication and Extension specialists translate research into clear, accessible guidance and standard operating procedures. These materials appear across multiple platforms so growers and substrate suppliers can easily find and use them. Evaluation experts monitor progress using agreed-upon success metrics, ensuring consistent alignment across the team.

Guided by ongoing industry feedback

A stakeholder Advisory Board made up of industry leaders provides continuous input throughout the project. Their feedback shapes ongoing research and outreach, strengthening the project’s impact. Altogether, the Beyond Peat team represents a purposefully assembled, highly interdisciplinary group addressing peat-reduction challenges and supporting the specialty crop industry into the future.

Our People

The Beyond Peat project unites experts across horticulture, social sciences, economics, and environmental science.

My research areas are:

  • Soilless Substrate Science
    • Evaluating new materials & processing methods
    • Substrate physics & hydraulics
  • Root zone temperature management
  • Irrigation scheduling & water efficiency

Jeb Fields
University of Florida

TBC!

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Qinglin Wu
Louisiana State University

tbc!

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James E. Altland
USDA-ARS

TBC!

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Brian Jackson
North Carolina State University
 

My research areas are:

TBC

Alexa J. Lamm
University of Georgia

TBC!

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Kevan Lamm
University of Georgia

tbc!

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Guil Signorini
Ohio State University

TBC!

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Bryan Synder
Louisiana State University
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Contact us

We look forward to hearing from you

Site content
info@soillesssubstrates.org
 
Site function & operation
s3@freshlearn.co.nz