b'Hemp is Coming Back, for (the) GoodThe #HempRevolution is just around the corner.Francesco MirizziEditors Note: This piece originally ran in our sister publication, The climate crisis, an increased awareness of the unex-European Seed, but as the United States works to build ourploited potential of agriculture and the longing memory of the industrial hemp industry, we at Seed World felt it was importantpast glory allowed hemp to start regaining its popularity in to learn some history and debates in the EU around hemp.the 2000s, driven by the sale of CBD extracts and consumers demand for natural and sustainable products. The sown area has Hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.) is one of the most debated butincreased by 600% in the last 30 years and the market of CBD yet one of the most misunderstood plants in todays world.extracts, hemp construction and technical textiles is growing and It has accompanied humankind since the Neolithic and evolvedgaining interest of international investors. The use of high THC with it. Initially used for its nutritious seeds, hemp was the firststrains for medical purposes has also undoubtedly accelerated fiber to be used along flax, providing textile andlater on this hype. cordages and sails, which allowed the flourishing of the interna-The real added value of industrial hemp is the possibility to tional maritime trade. Medical properties were also discoveredproduce food, food supplements, feed, biomaterials (plastics, around 2700 B.C. in China and spread around the world. textile, construction material, insulation, paper, supercapacitors, After having lived its golden age in the XIX century, theetc.), energy and positive environmental externalities with one production started decreasing in all countries and hemp, oncerotation crop. Hemp farming requires very low or no inputs and populating Europe from Finland plains to Sicilian mountains,has positive effects on soils and biodiversity, while its processing almost disappeared from our fields, weakened by the boomingproduces zero waste: everything is used or further transformed. of synthetic fibers. Nonetheless, its use endured in some coun- The versatile nature of hemp potentially represents multi-billions tries, although at a smaller extent. Translated in numbers, the sur- euros of downstream markets, particularly in manufacturing of face under hemp in the early 19th century in Europe was abovereusable, recyclable and compostable materials.400,000 hectares, while in the period between 1960 and 1990In Brussels words, hemp can dramatically contribute to the the total area stabilized around 10,000 hectares. The decreasedecarbonization of essential products and help industry and in production entailed the disappearance of the manufactur- agriculture attain the Green Deal objectives. The European Green ing industry, de-localized in countries with lower labor cost andDeal is a set of policy initiatives by the European Commission available raw materials. with the overarching aim of making Europe climate neutral in The many purposes of the industrial hemp were then over- 2050. shadowed by the recreative use of high THC strains of cannabis.Moreover, while maximizing land use, hemp offers farmers The lines between the two varieties became blurred in peoplesa valuable and versatile raw material and an additional income. mind. Nonetheless a major difference still subsists: industrial hempHemp value chains need a local network of operators, capable of has no psychoactive properties and has between 100 and 500providing the biomass and first processing, globally connected times less THC than its recreative (or medical) family members. to a community of technology and knowledge. This means that 74/ SEEDWORLD.COMOCTOBER 2020'