Sustainable Farming – Cannabis

 

Sustainable Farming – Cannabis

Farming of hemp within the UK is not a modern-day endeavour, with it being widely cultivated throughout Britain between 800-1800 AD. In 1533, King Henry VIII made hemp farming compulsory by law, insisting that for every 60 acres, farmers must grow around ¼ acre of flax or hemp or face being fined. It was even possible to pay your taxes with hemp. It has a variety of uses, with each individual component of the plant having individual benefits and applications. For example, the seeds may make fuel or food, the stalks make fibre, the leaves (which contain CBD) make medicine and the roots cure the soil.



‘Industrial hemp,’ has a very low THC content, meaning, unlike its cousin marijuana, if you set a field of it on fire and inhaled all of the smoke you would still not get high. However, it is categorised as ‘Cannabis’, which is a controlled substance under the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act. Currently, it is legal to grow hemp in the UK, which is great. However, licences are required from the Home Office, costing an initial £580 to acquire and a license renewal cost of £326. The production, sale, and use of CBD products are legal in the UK, yet the process of extracting the compound from the plant is not (this makes no sense to me...). CBD is considered the most economically valuable part of the plant, making the change to hemp cultivation a less desirable path for farmers in the region. Currently, the leaves must be burnt on-site, meaning that all products containing CBD here are currently imported.

“A 2019 YouGov survey found that up to 75% of the UK public believe that hemp farmers should be allowed to process their crops for the CBD industry.”

So, what are the benefits of hemp cultivation?

In addition to the vast number of products it can be used for, the cultivation of hemp requires only low-grade quality soil for successful growth and can thrive in pretty much any environment. It bio-remediates contaminated soil, improves soil structure and nutrient levels and can thereby increase the yield of follow on crops, providing a perfect candidate for a rotational crop in between harvests in the UK. Additionally, the application of pesticides or herbicides is not necessary, and the requirement for water is minimal – an environmental and economic win. Hemp is also one of the most effective crops in its ability to act as a carbon sink. It has been proven to have the ability to offset more CO2 per hectare than any other forest or commercial crop (⁓ 15 tonnes of CO2/ hectare), absorbing and storing the carbon for the remainder of its life. Hemp uses the carbon to grow and does so extremely quickly, cleaning the air while it is at it.

The hemp plant has undeniable potential for application in the UK and Ireland, providing sustainable and valuable products to a variety of sectors and a potential new route for local farmers to follow to increase profits.

“Provisional figures indicate that the 'Total Income from Farming' (TIFF) in Northern Ireland fell by 25% (26% in real terms) from £386 million in 2018 to £290 million in 2019.”

However, a change in attitude, association with its psychedelic cousin and fundamentally, an increase in governmental support is required if we are to reap the societal, environmental and economic benefits of this versatile crop once more.

Comments

  1. JeanieOctober 13, 2020 at 12:17 PM

    My goodness.. We need to be doing this!

    ReplyDelete
  2. BridgetOctober 14, 2020 at 11:19 AM

    Well who knew? Makes you wonder why farmers don't really.

    ReplyDelete

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