Environmentally friendly farming practices

The use of organic fertilisers, when available, can limit the climate change impact of hemp production by reducing the need for energy-intensive mineral fertilisers. Besides this positive environmental impact, this practice can significantly lower production costs. However, it is important to consider that this approach may result in increased eutrophication, acidification, and terrestrial pollution, which should be carefully evaluated from an environmental standpoint.

To reduce negative effects such as greenhouse gas emissions, eutrophication of waterways, and acidification, it is crucial to avoid applying more fertiliser than needed. These adverse effects mainly result from the leaching of nutrients into the groundwater (Innes, 2013). A demand-oriented nutrient management approach, known as precision fertilisation, can help achieve this. Proper timing of fertiliser application, such as avoiding application before rain, can also reduce nutrient leaching. However, precision fertilisation is more challenging with organic fertilisers, as their nutrient concentrations generally vary.

Appropriate water management and the use of irrigation systems can reduce the amount of water lost through evapotranspiration. Systems such as drip irrigation are considerably more efficient and can also be used to apply fertilisers more effectively directly to the roots of the plants.

No-till farming, a practice where the soil is not prepared before sowing, can reduce soil erosion and nitrate washout while minimizing field compaction. This method also has the added benefit of lowering production costs due to fewer work steps, resulting in reduced equipment hours and fuel consumption (Díaz-Zorita et al., 2004).

Incorporating hemp into crop rotation systems can disrupt pest and disease cycles, reduce soil depletion, and improve overall soil fertility. Rotating hemp with other crops can also help manage weeds without the use of synthetic herbicides, thus supporting environmentally friendly agricultural methods. As an annual crop, hemp fits well into conventional crop rotation systems, preferably following cereals. This is because volunteer cereals that occur can be managed more easily than, for instance, broadleaf crops.

Like most cultivars, hemp grown in a monoculture result in declining yields over the years due to the uncontrollable development of self-propagating weeds (Chenopodium album, Sinapis arvensis, Orobanche ramosa) and increasing pressure from diseases (Desanlis et al., 2013). This versatility allows farmers to incorporate hemp into their crop rotation systems in many different variations.