Cultivating News
From "Maple Street Co-op News", Feb/Mar 2005
Industrial Hemp: Versatile and Eco-Friendly
by Mary Meadows
At the annual Woodford Folk Festival, there is a tented area called
the Green House where guest speakers, organised by the Sunshine Coast
Environment Council, talk on any number of topics related to our environment.
One of the speakers at the most recent festival was Paul Benhaim, who
enlightened us on
Industrial Hemp. Paul, of English origin and currently residing in Byron
Bay, was coaxed to this country to help set up a hemp industry.
I was aware of hemp's ability to produce paper and fabric and perhaps
biodiesel from the oil of the seed, but I was delighted to hear that
hemp can also be converted into a plastic. Paul showed two items as
examples of this marvellous plant's versatility: a CD cover and a hemp
didgeridoo (probably not a lot of call for this item, but it had quite
a pleasant sound). Another example presented was a slide of a Mercedes
which had been "driven the length of the United States" on
hemp biodiesel.
Hemp seed oil is a great source of omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids, and
in Europe and North America it is used as a food source in both the
whole seed form and as an extracted oil, but in Australia it is not
approved as a food. The best method of pressing seed for oil is without
light and oxygen and with as little
incidental heat as possible. Refined hemp oil is clear and is used overseas
as a base for body-care products. The unrefined oil, which would be
the better food source, is green in colour. The hulled residue of the
hemp nut is used as animal feed and is very beneficial due to its high
fibre content. This fibre is also
available for cushion fill or mulch and is used in the automotive industry
for interior linings.
The arguments for using hemp as paper are obvious when one is aware
of some facts. The old growth forests would thank us; the waters polluted
by chlorine bleach from wood-pulp paper mills would run cleaner and
the land required to grow paper would be reduced. Hemp on an acre-by-acre
comparison produces up to four times more usable fibre than most forests.
(As an aside, the American Declaration of Independence was written on
hemp paper.) Compared with other fibre sources, hemp grows quickly and
practically all parts of the plant are usable. Hemp needs no pesticides
because it is unpalatable to most insects and it contains a chemical
called terpene that has a distinctive smell which insects find most
unattractive.
It needs no herbicides because, given good growing conditions, it outstrips
any weeds. Hemp residues can also enhance the soil. This plant is quite
obviously a real threat to the chemical and petrochemical industries.
In Australia, tests have been conducted in growing different varieties
of industrial hemp. One variety developed and trialled by Ecofibre Industries
is suitable for temperate regions; however, it thrives in subtropical
and tropical climates, grows to five metres and produces harvestable
produce in 90 days. One variety, called Finola, grown in central Russia
and Asia, reaches a maximum height of 1.5 metres; its primary benefit
is that it can be harvested by a conventional grain harvester; it is
said to produce two metric
tonnes of seed per hectare.
In 2002, Queensland approved the open growing of industrial hemp, and
the potential to grow 50,000 hectares of hemp within four years has
been forecast. As a comparison, Germany reintroduced hemp growing in
1996 with plantings covering 1,422 hectares, and has doubled production
every two years. In
2002, Canada was growing more than 20 varieties over 14,000 hectares.
With seed sown at the end of September, industrial hemp would be harvested
for fibre in five months and seed in six months, depending on the soil,
the variety of seed and the latitude at which it is grown. The critical
factors are that it can be harvested dry and that there is an even ripening
of the seed. The plant that can reach up to five metres will have a
tap root of one metre. Its leaves assist by shedding, thereby continually
recycling nutrients into the topsoil.
The challenge is the setting up of processing plants. One idea that
Paul espouses is the establishment of farming co-operatives. The advantage
of this is that the farmers own the process, and the plant-matter can
be processed locally. This formula is being set up worldwide with small-
to medium-sized on-farm operations which are contributing to local sustainability
and employment. And what's more, the processing of the hemp does not
harm the environment.
.
References
• "A Modern Introduction to HEMP – From Food to Fibre:
Past, Present and Future", by Paul Benhaim
• Websites: http://www.hemp.co.uk;
http://www.ecofibre.com.au;
http://www.hempplastic.com;
http://www.hempmusic.com; http://www.alivefoods.com/bodycare;
http://www.hempbraintree.com;
http://www.hempfoods.com.au;
http://www.hempgallery.com.au
[From "Maple Street Co-op News", Feb/Mar 2005; published by
The Maple Street Co-operative Society Ltd, 37 Maple Street, Maleny,
Qld 4552, Australia, tel (07) 5494 2088, email maplest.co-op@serv.net.au,
website http://www.maplestreetco-op.com.au]