Hemp or cannabis sativa is a versatile product and farmers in states like Kentucky and Iowa are pressuring the federal government to leaglize it. They see its potential as a cash crop and want to cash in.
Hempseed is already being used to produce a vegan cheese product and is considered to be a good source of EFAs, or essential fatty acids.
From a health standpoint the EFA content of hemp makes it a desirable addition to the food distribution network. It also seems to make good economic sense, especially for regions such as Kentucky where traditional crops are no longer able to keep the economy strong.
My only concern is that the hemp advocates in their rush to get this wonder plant to market are in danger of creating a monoculture which in time will undo the gains they make. If they ignore biodiversity in their eagerness to promote hemp, they may fail to keep their minds open to the possibilities of other alternative food crops and other plants like kenaf, which is a good alternative paper source.
Biodiversity is essential if food sustainability is going to be reached. We need to explore the food potential of other plants, such as oxalis tuberosa, a tuber that comes from South America. Perhaps it is time that governments begin to invest some research and development money into the possibilities that plants offers us, not just as food and clothing, but construction material, and fuel as well. This may well be what we need to stop our rush into a false progress and discover what Nature is already giving us.
If we were to approach the hemp issue not simply as advocates of the legalization of hemp, but as advocates of the importance that biodiversity holds for the ecosystem and the economy, we are then treating hemp as part of the answer rather than the next "magic bullet" that will solve all our food and other supply problems. It would then follow that the legalization of hemp is part of the move towards biodiversity. When we incorporate it into our overall plan, then we develop a win-win situation.
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