Hemp cultivation sequesters more carbon than any other crop. For this and other virtuous characteristics, industrial hemp is at the center of the Hemp-30 project, a piece of the Green Industrial Revolution launched by Britain and focused on microalgae and miscanthus(Miscanthus), as well as hemp. (1)
Carbon farming with hemp
The goal of the Hemp-30 project is to implement the cultivation of industrial hemp and implement its harvesting and industrial use in Britain by 2030.
The United Kingdom currently has about 800 hectares under industrial hemp cultivation. Hemp-30 aims to increase the amount cultivated by at least 100 times to 80,000 hectares per year in 10 years, making industrial hemp a major crop in the UK.
The benefits of hemp
Meeting the Hemp-30 targets will produce a £700 million boost to the UK economy and the sequestration (or replacement) of 1 million tons of carbon dioxide each year.
In fact, hemp is a fast-growing plant that sequesters up to 22 tons of carbon dioxide per hectare per year, more than any other crop or forest.
The environmentally beneficial function of this crop is also reinforced by
- the low input requirements and
- The health-enhancing properties of the soil in which it grows.
So many benefits add up to potential income for farmers. In addition to the crop, which is useful in various industries (renewable energy, food textiles etc.), the cultivation of hemp in rotation with grains looks to be a useful source of carbon credits to sell on the market.
The 10-year program
Hemp-30’s 10-year roadmap includes innovation interventions in four areas:
1) Hybridization of new varieties of industrial hemp and seed multiplication
York University has established a rapid hemp plant breeding platform (no GMOs) to develop new hemp varieties and expand existing cultivars.
2) Development of new methods to increase hemp biomass yield per hectare
The project will introduce innovative technology for efficient field harvesting of industrial hemp. It will also evaluate the use of new biological and chemical treatments to increase the biomass yield of industrial hemp.
3) Demonstration of innovative hemp processing technologies on the farm
Innovation also involves the processing of industrial hemp, at the farms that grow it, for use in
- bioenergy,
- building materials,
- textile fibers.
4) Developing supply chains, value and innovation in the UK for industrial hemp
The development of a comprehensive networkingprogram, communication materials and information sharing will eventually have to resolve the disconnects between stakeholders in the industrial hemp value chain.
‘With excellent connectivity among growers, end users, researchers, and regulators, the crop will be used as a feedstock in several markets to replace carbon-intensive resources within the food, feed, construction, biofuels, and bioenergy industries, as well as in the textile and health sectors, with high-value wellness products’, promise the researchers in the Final Report of Phase 1 of Hemp-30. (2)
Marta Strinati
Notes
(1) UK Government. Biomass Feedstocks Innovation Programme Phase 1: successful projects. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/biomass-feedstocks-innovation-programme-successful-projects/biomass-feedstocks-innovation-programme-phase-1-successful-projects
(2) Hemp-30 Phase I Final Report https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1089680/Phase_1_report_-_University_of_York_-_HEMP-30_catalysing_a_step_change_in_the_production.pdf
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".
