Hemp is considered an ancient and versatile crop. As early as 12,000 years ago, people recognized and utilized the benefits of this raw material: textiles and later paper were made from hemp fibers. However, with industrialization, hemp was increasingly displaced as new machinery aided in cotton processing. With the development of the pharmaceutical industry, hemp also lost its medicinal significance.
Hemp grows up to four meters tall and develops an extensive root system. By July at the latest, its foliage is so dense that weeds in the field receive too little light and die off. Therefore, hemp does not need to be chemically sprayed with herbicides, which primarily harm insects.
Hemp also has the ability to thrive in depleted, nutrient-poor soils. Its root system loosens hard soils, thereby supplying them with oxygen and improving porosity, which counteracts erosion and enhances the soil's water absorption. This makes hemp our soils more resilient to dry spells and climate change. At the same time, it absorbs and stores nitrogen during growth. Thus, hemp also paves the way for other plants and serves biodiversity.