Our actions contribute directly or indirectly to ecosystem losses. Safeguarding our planet is essential to sustain life. So often, we hear words like “eco-friendly,” “green practices,” “sustainable development,” and so on. From industrial to agricultural practices, everything requires transformation to sustain our ecosystem. Recently, discussions are rife regarding how industrial hemp can protect the earth.
The hemp plant has suffered demonization due to its link with the marijuana plant. But, industrial hemp is a different strain with qualities that can act as a tool to protect the environment. From making the air clean to offering habitat to wildlife, hemp provides numerous environmental benefits. If you need facts to strengthen the argument on how useful hemp is to earth. Read ahead to know more about the unique and valuable plant.
About hemp
Do you know humans started cultivating hemp thousands of years back? According to anthropologists, hemp was the first agricultural crop grown, it was used mainly as a textile crop. It belongs to the cannabis sativa species and has numerous benefits. It is one of the fastest-growing plants you can find on earth. You can confuse it with marijuana, but hemp is free from THC. It means hemp seeds will not make you high like marijuana.
You can source hemp or marijuana from top cannabis seeds in US. Hemp has the potential to clean the environment. So, it safeguards the planet for our future generations. While growing hemp may not solve the environmental problem, it is a good start. Let’s see the reasons why hemp has the potential to shine.
Reason #1 nature’s purifier
Hemp can breathe in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. So, the hemp plant makes it possible to breathe cleaner air. I may remove up to 1.63 tons of carbon from the air for every ton of hemp produced. The figures indicate the effectiveness of the hemp plant compared to other trees.
Reason #2 makes soil regeneration possible
The hemp plant’s stem and leaves have essential nutrients. After maturing, the leaf starts to fall to the ground. The decomposed plant can replenish the soil with necessary nutrients. So, the soil becomes ready for the next crop. Similarly, farmers return the hemp plant remnants after harvesting them back to the soil. It makes the soil richer and increases the chances of getting a high yield the following year.
Reason #3 hemp supports sustainable farming
Sustainable farming methods refer to the cultivation of a crop satisfying the people’s food and textile needs. Farmers can accomplish it without compromising the needs of current and future generations. Farmers follow crop rotation according to the season. This method boosts soil
nutrients. Hemp is the ideal plant for crop rotation as it matures in four months after planting it. Planting hemp also offers a cleaner, nutrient-rich soil that can provide greater crop yield.
Reason #4 helps against pesticides
Unlike other natural fibers like flax or cotton, growing hemp does not require pesticides or herbicides. Pesticides trigger several
health problems such as:
- ADHD
- Cancer
- Birth-defects
- Alzheimer’s disease
So, using pesticides is harmful to the environment and hazardous to human health. By growing hemp, farmers can reduce the use of such deadly substances. It reduces toxin and pollutant exposure. Growing hemp around the world will lower the toxin and pollutant levels in water and air.
Reason #5 prevents soil erosion
The hemp plant has a strong and long root. It can go up to nine feet deep into the soil. Such root networks have the potential to keep the ground together. So, it prevents the major problem faced by the farmers, soil erosion. Restoring soil already damaged due to erosion is another property of hemp, making it the real deal.
Reason #6 little water
Growing hemp is easy as it has self-irrigating properties. Little water is required to grow the plant. This feature sets hemp apart from other natural fiber plants.
Reason #7 no wastage
Cultivating hemp causes no wastage as it can produce more than 25,000 items. After harvesting the seeds, manufacturers can produce healthy food items while flowers and leaves go into beauty product industry. The stalk of the plant can produce natural fiber.
Reason #8 easily absorbs toxic materials
Do you know hemp can eliminate harmful toxins? Studies reveal hemp can absorb heavy metals and radiation from the soil to prevent soil pollution. One famous example is using hemp at
the Chernobyl nuclear disaster site to absorb radioactive cesium and strontium.
Reason #9 provides habitat for wildlife
Hemp grows up to three feet. It is tall enough to provide a habitat for wildlife. Studies indicate that hemp seeds are good food for birds due to their high nutritional value.
Reason #10 important weapon in fight against deforestation
According to scientists, the rainforest can disappear from the planet within a few decades. But, hemp can offer a reprieve. Afforestation is the solution, but it takes many years for trees to mature. The hemp plant can replace trees in the quest to protect the planet. Hemp grows within four months and can become the primary raw material to make paper.
Conclusion
Air, land, and water pollution is harming our earth. The constant release of the plastic micro-particles and manufacturing by-products cause imbalances in our ecosystem. Growing hemp may offer a solution to prevent such events. The cash crop can boost the economy and maintain regenerative farming practices for a cleaner, greener earth.
