FFaced with global warming, some farmers may have found the solution: developing hemp production. As Actu.fr reports, many farmers are now turning to this plant, which only needs a little water to grow and for which the use of phytosanitary products is not necessary.
According to several producers in the Eure, hemp has other advantages: resistant to drought, this plant smothers weeds and serves as a refuge for small game during the harvest of other plants, hemp being harvested in September.
Oils, fabric, the plastics industry, therapeutic products… Hemp can also be used in several ways. Convinced of the advantages of this sector, producer Ludovic Rivière goes so far as to say: “If each farmer sowed between 3 and 5 hectares, we would have a lever to fight against global warming. »
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Some disadvantages remain
Hemp is not a magic bullet, however. Disadvantages exist. The seed yield is, for example, quite low. Seeds are also expensive and the production tools used in conventional agriculture are often not suitable.
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Another problem: hemp is particularly monitored by the authorities, being from the same family as cannabis. If it does not contain (or very little) THC, the molecule present in cannabis, the plantation remains under control. Cannabis seeds are prohibited for planting.
With the right tools, however, producers could get into the production of cannabidiol, better known as “CBD”. Another cousin of cannabis, this one has the merit of being legal. CBD-based products (oil, tea, etc.) have flourished in recent years in dedicated shops and tobacconists.