How can hemp help the health of the planet?

We have plundered our planet, we have polluted our waters, we have drenched our soil, rivers and streams with pesticides & chemicals. At this very moment, unimaginable damage is being inflicted upon the world’s ecosystems with every living creature on this planet at risk including us humans.

This is a crisis we can no longer ignore and with it we must change our ways or face eventual ruin. Living in harmony with our planet, our home, is a obligation which we must all make and all strive towards achieving. This doesn’t just start and end with giving up plastic bags, there is so much more we can do to move towards a more sustainable life, living in harmony with our planets eco-systems.

Could Hemp production be a sustainable solution and a saviour to some of the planets problems?

Industrial hemp production has been shown to be of massive benefit to polluted, over farmed farm lands, Hemp production helps return nutrients back into the ground resulting in healthier soil, slowing erosion and phyto-remediation of heavy metal polluted soils due to its ability to grow rapidly and absorb metals.

Hemp crop is naturally resistant to pests and disease and can be grown without the need for harsh chemicals, pesticides, and fungicides which have a disastrous consequence on the environment, not only polluting the soil & water but contaminating our air & destroying biodiversity.

Hemp is in the top 5 out of 23 crops for bio-diversity friendliness, outstripping wheat, maize and rapeseed.

Greenhouse gas ( Carbon dioxide) is absorbed with hemp production. One hectare of industrial hemp can absorb 15 tonnes of CO2 per hectare. That’s the equivalent to the carbon emission of 25 flights between London and New York.

Hemp’s fast growth cycle ( 4 meters in 100 days) make it one of the most rapid CO2-to-biomass conversion tools available.

Hemp can be grown in a variety of soils, including nutrient-poor soils. Its fast growth cycle means its excellent for bio-remediation of heavy metal polluted soils.

The myriad of uses of industrial hemp is astonishing, from home building materials, to clothing, fuel and even paper products. When it comes to world consumption of wood pulp for example, a shocking statistic shows that 100 trees per minute are cut down in the rainforest to provide the materials to build homes, make furniture and paper. Hemp is a viable alternative that doesn’t require any deforestation, any destruction of animal eco systems or risk to the livelihoods of indigenous populations that survive on the rainforest and live in harmony with all that it gives.

Hemp is a rapidly growing plant which grows at a rate of 4 meters in 3 months, making it a highly sustainable, low impact crop which can easily be converted into paper and clothing as seen below.

Plummeting Bee Populations and the part that Hemp crop plays in their preservation.

Without being an alarmist — If all the bees in the world die, humans will simply not survive. Bees provide an integral service to human food production which cannot be overlooked. Bee populations have been in freefall as a result of habitat change, climate change, insecticide use, disease & urbanization. A recent study by Cornell University’s Department of Entomology has found that bees really love hemp — and the taller the plant the greater the myriad of bees attracted to the crop.

Researchers making a sweep of 11 different farms in New York state found 16 different bee species. The most common visitor being the European honey bee followed by the common eastern bumblebee.

Plant height was strongly correlated with bee species diversity and also abundance, with taller plants attracting a much more diverse variety of bees. Tall hemp plants not only produce a greater amount of pollen but are apparently more visible.

Hemp can potentially provide a “critical nutritional resource for bees in periods of floral scarcity” especially in late summer when other crops are in late season deterioration.
Source By: https://www.cbeskin.com/post/can-hemp-help-the-health-of-the-planet-first