The Australian hemp industry is in early stages of development and as a result, it has been relying on anecdotal or foreign sources of information to advocate for the sustainability of its products. Industry knowledge regarding varieties, climatic conditions, soils and value chains is more developed in northern hemisphere industries, but growing and market conditions in Australia are substantially different. The sustainability theme of the AIHPR aims to support industry development by generating information and tools specific to the Australian experience regarding the benefits of industrial hemp cultivation on carbon sequestration and soil amelioration/remediation.
This poster presentation will outline the plan of work under the AIHPR sustainability theme organised around five projects and spanning a range of objectives. Areas of focus include the estimation of GHG emissions associated with cropping practices using life cycle assessments, the quantification of net benefits from biogenic carbon sequestered in value added products, the establishment of a standard approach for benchmarking the sustainability of the Australian industry, the identification of monetisation options and an improved understanding of the role industrial hemp varieties can play in remediating heavy metal contamination of Australian mining sites.
The information and tools produced by the AIHPR sustainability theme will support producer management practices, guide industry development and help substantiate sustainability claims by the industry. The work will also help improve the competitiveness of the Australian hemp industry and clarify the role hemp products can play in reducing GHG emissions from agriculture, food and construction industries.