ENCOURAGE
HEMP AGRICULTURE
One of our goals with the Iroony project is to extend hemp agriculture, in order to benefit from its various ecological assets.
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WATER
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According to OECD 70% of water used worldwide is for crop irrigation.
So not only is the agricultural sector the largest consumer of water but it's also a major polluter of water.
At the same time, this sector faces increasing water risks, with major droughts.
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Fortunately, growing hemp displays many characteristics that have advantages over other agricultural crops.
Hemp as a plant is not only highly resistant to drought, but also to pests and pathogens.
Therefore its culture does not usually requires irrigation or chemicals, preserving water both in terms of quantity and quality.
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CARBON STORAGE
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One of the most efficient way to fight climate change is to capture carbon dioxide.
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Hemp farming culture is a key contributor in this fight against global climate change thanks to its significant biomass : before it's harvested, 1 hectare of hemp absorbs as much CO2 as 1 hectare of wood, estimated to the equivalent of about 12-15 tons.
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BIODIVERSITY
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Intensive farming and monocultures have depleted agricultural soils and contributed to the loss of biodiversity.
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A better alternative is to develop crop rotation, which promotes soil quality and pest resistance.
Hemp is very adapted to culture rotation and results in the farmers using less inputs plus benefiting from increased yield for following crops, especially grains. It is a reservoir of useful biodiversity, welcoming many predators of crop pests such as spiders.
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FOOD
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The World population should reach 9,7 billions in 2050, so arable land and water are a priority to meet the demand for food.
Hemp is a great source of food that we value, by focusing on the use of hemp stalks harvested after hemp seeds have been collected. Those ones have great nutritional properties, displaying a high source of vegan proteins and an ideal ratio of omegas 3 and 6. They can be available as seeds, oil, flour... We promote hemp seeds use !
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Technology
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Since 2018, the Iroony(r) project has created one of the largest database on hemp micro cellulose, 3 patents and multiple projects.
In a nutshell, it means more than 100 trials at lab and pilot scale, multiple applications in textile and packaging validated and a versatile sourcing approach (including flax and reed).
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Science​
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A first LCA was done in 2020 and research programs still ongoing!
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