Hemp is a versatile and sustainable crop that has many environmental benefits. It captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, reducing air pollution, and requires fewer pesticides and herbicides than other crops. Hemp can also be used to create biodegradable plastics, paper, and fuel. In addition, hemp can help replenish soil fertility and reduce soil erosion.
Hemp is a great option for farmers looking to reduce their land use without compromising their performance or finances. The plant hemp captures carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and, as a result, quickly cleans the air we breathe. In fact, for every ton of hemp produced, 1.63 tons of carbon are removed from the air, making hemp a much more effective carbon dioxide scavenger than trees.
HEMP
is naturally resistant to most pests, so it doesn't need pesticides or herbicides.In rotation, leave a field free of weeds for the next harvest. Huge reductions in the use of chemicals can be achieved by returning to rotational agriculture. Hemp grown in rotation with wheat in England resulted in a 20% increase in wheat yield, with no proportional increase in chemical or energy inputs. In Ontario, hemp grown in rotation with soy reduced the infestation by nematode cysts by 50 to 75%, reducing the need for chemical pesticides. If you want to bleach for maximum shine, hemp is very conducive to hydrogen peroxide bleaching, since the only by-products are water and oxygen.
While products made with hemp are stronger, more durable and biodegradable, hemp itself can act as a storehouse of nutrition for consumers. The environmental benefits of hemp include the possibility of creating a non-toxic and fully biodegradable plastic that can replace regular plastic. Bioproducts made with hemp are environmentally friendly and can be easily replaced in compost or landfills. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced a program that would allow farmers to grow hemp according to plans approved by the federal government and would allow hemp producers to participate in several agricultural programs. As an added benefit, planting hemp in soil that needs to be replenished helps prevent soil erosion and restore soil fertility. A hemp fabric can often be said to have undergone this intensive process if it bears the label “hemp viscose”, which usually involves the same harmful processing with toxic chemicals as regular viscose.
However, hemp is a highly sustainable, low-impact crop that can be sustainably converted into fabric and is a better option than artificial fibers. In the upper Midwest and South, it seems that hemp fiber can be grown less expensively than wood fiber for use in paper. One of the largest paper companies has told the chairman of the NAIHC board of directors, Bud Sholts, that if hemp can be grown in Wisconsin, they will use it for 45% of their raw material in their Fox River factory within five years. In this way, hemp cultivation opens a way for farmers to reduce land use without compromising their performance or finances. The long fibers of hemp can be used in the manufacture of composite plastics, which, while not as strong as fiberglass, are strong enough for many applications. Researchers at the University of Connecticut discovered that cannabis sativa seeds, or industrial hemp, can be used to create a viable and sustainable diesel fuel.
