Hemp legalization and sustainable agriculture in North America

How has the legalization of Hemp farming in North America influenced sustainable agriculture in the region? Introduction and Background Industrial hemp also referred to as Cannabis Sativa is a progressively developing annual herb with a wide range of uses encompassing an assortment of products derived from oilseed or fiber that have been understood all through history. Notably, farming and agronomy in developed nations more or less was disrupted at the outset of the 20th century when hemp came to be fundamentally associated with marijuana that is constituted with huge amounts of THC. However, in recent times, there has been a reintroduced interest in hemp for industrial dedications owing to ecological reasons, the excessive production of food crops amalgamated with a necessity for new sources of fiber. In as much as there are as numerous uses of hemp products, there are solely a minimal number of hemp products that have the potential of creating a significant market. The major product segments with market potential include pharmaceuticals, oilseed and fiber. The production of hempseed has been comparatively prosperous in Canada. There are several claims that industrial hemp could positively change the economy of the United States in a largely beneficial manner. Industrial hemp is one of the new yearly field crops with a comparatively extensive assortment of adaptation across North America (Young, 2005). The purpose of this research is to increase the literature related to sustainability and more specifically delineate the sustainability aspects of growing hemp. Research Question The research question of the proposal is: · How has Hemp integration in agriculture helped with bioremediation and crop cover. Literature Review The endeavor and objective of sustainable development is a humanitarian, evenhanded, and caring international society, aware of the necessity for human self-worth for all. This is founded on three autonomous constituents comprising of social development, economic development, and environmental safety. In particular, sustainability purposes to attain the efficacious use of resources in the contemporary with a plan for future needs of the resources (Buescher et al., 2001). Nonetheless, sustainable development goes beyond simply growth and development. In particular, sustainable development permits for growth devoid of utilizing substance and vitality that surpasses the reformative and absorptive qualities (Goodland and Day, 1996). According to the authors, social sustainability is generated by orderly engagement of the community. Secondly, economic sustainability sustains different kinds of capital comprising of man-made, natural, human and social capital. Third, environmental sustainability endeavors to enhance human and social well-being through safety of raw material sources employed to require needs. The emphasis of environmental safety is to generate waste consumption products that are not detrimental but rather beneficial to humans (Lin, 2005). As a commodity, hemp can offer sustainable solution to consumers and farmers. In the contemporary, unsustainable crop growing, linked with high input-high impact crops is an international issue. In addition, the utilization of non-renewable resources has been associated with global climate change and a decrease in both the amounts of water and quality of air in the environment. Moreover, increasing populaces and incessantly increasing resource demand makes the exhaustion of non-renewable resources unavoidable taking into account the prevailing dependency (Harris, 2002). There is also the presence of a necessity and demand for industrial non-food harvests, particularly fiber crops owing to an excessive production of food within the developed nations. What is more, natural health foods and products, despite the fact that it is presently a negligible industry, are progressively attaining increased attaining and becoming popular amongst consumers (Lachenmeier and Walch, 2005). Being deemed as a renewable resource, industrial hemp appears to satisfy these existing demands and is conceived to be a crop that can add to sustainability. Akin to any other industry, the economics surrounding hemp has a key role in ascertaining the impending market shares that any products derived from hemp may have. This takes into account the native economics for the farmers and also the global markets for exportation and importation. From a local perspective, the economics of hemp farming comprises of the expenditures and profitability to the farmer, to the local community in its entirety and the accessibility of infrastructure to facilitate the transportation, processing, and manufacturing of hemp products. Recent reports regarding hemp growing in North America have indicated considerable profits to the farmers and their community (Young, 2005). From an environmental perspective, owing to its resiliency, hemp is considered to be a natural approach to cleaning up soil pollution. This is for the reason that it facilitates the absorption of carbon dioxide as it grows and develops through natural photosynthesis. In addition, hemp can be employed as a form of fabric within the textile industry. This is because not only does the crop necessitate smaller land for growing compared to other crops such as cotton, it is also durable and can be manufactured into different colors. Methodology This research study incorporates a qualitative approach with the acquiring of not only primary but also secondary data. It is also acknowledged that research is an iterative rather than linear process; a qualitative method is hence preferred in order to understand and explain how and why things happen and give in-depth insight into complex phenomena and processes (Silverman, 2010). Primary data will be collected through semi-structured interviews, discussions and participatory methods. Case studies will provide in-depth information about specific utilization and trends related to the hemp integration in current agricultural processes, which can then be drawn upon to generate insights. Semi-structure interviews were chosen as they provide reliable, comparable qualitative data and allow informants the freedom to express their views and thoughts more openly (Silverman, 2010). Data Analysis The data analysis process in this research study will make use of content analysis on the data that will be collected from the semi-structured interviews. This analysis will encompass the categorization of data into different themes and further sub-themes in order to be able to make a comparison. One of the fundamental benefits of this analysis approach is that it aids in data gathered being diminished and shortened and at the similar time generating outcomes that may subsequently be measured through quantitative techniques. What is more, content analysis provides the researcher with the capability of structuring the data collected from the qualitative techniques in a manner that is satisfactory to the attainment of the research objective (Patton, 2005). Work Plan and Key Milestones April May June July August