3rd Italian awareness-raising programme
The 3rd Italian awareness-raising programme took place in Rome on 17 February 2017. The event was organized in collaboration with Canapa Mundi 2017 and Federcanapa: Canapa mundi 2017 (http://canapamundi.com/language/en/). It’s the third edition of the annual event for the promotion of the hemp plant (Cannabis sativa) widely cultivated in the past in Italy, before laws banned it 60 years ago and now making a strong comeback. Federcanapa (https://www.federcanapa.it/), Federation of Italian hemp, established on February 20, 2016, was created to give voice and technical and scientific support to the many initiatives taking place in all Italian regions and constitute an authoritative representation in the Government, regional administrations and other industrial sectors. The founding members are companies, experts and associations operating for a long time in the world of hemp in Italy.
Hemp (Cannabis sativa) is a plant that can make a good contribution to the fight against climate change, directly with a fixative effect (Carbon Sink) for its ability to produce large amounts of biomass in few months absorbing CO2 and indirectly , considering the substitutive effect, since the different parts of the plant may have multiple uses: food, as fuel, or in green building associated with the natural hydraulic lime as a component for the construction of light bricks or used simply as a natural insulator to thermally protect the walls (retrofit), or in the textile field, or for the production of paper or, also as a natural component associated with bioplastics for printing of 3D various objects. From the point of view of interactions with the environment and the organic farming, hemp has deep roots and increases the amount of organic matter deep in the soil, also has a phytoremediation capacity, that means that has a good ability to remediate soils polluted by metals, it is well suited to organic farming being fairly hardy plant that needs few treatments.
Roberto Calabresi, coordinator of Kyoto Club Agriculture and forests working group introduced the theme of climate change and the organic farming sector in Italy and in Europe, highlighting the aspects related to the ability of organic farming to fix CO2 in soils. Eugenio Barchiesi, Kyoto Club – he has illustrated the Life Organiko project taking stock of the activities undertaken to date and future activities. After the two introductory presentations, activities continued with the panel discussion entitled Hemp, organic agriculture and climate change which was attended with Roberto Calabresi and Eugenio Barchiesi from Kyoto Club, Francesco Maria Ciancaleoni – Environment Area and territory from Coldiretti, Beppe Croce – Federcanapa president, Stefano Amaducci – Federcanapa scientific committee president, Rachele Invernizzi – CEO South Hemp Tecno.
Francesco Maria Ciancaleoni on behalf of Coldiretti, Italy’s largest farmers organization, highlighted the economic and management aspects and the difficulties linked to the transition and transformation of a farm from the traditional cultivation methods to organic farming methods. Such changes must necessarily be made with a broad vision and a profound change of approach, which implies a total change of cultivation techniques, because it is no longer possible to use the “easy” systems to combat pests or use chemical fertilizers. The organic
cultural techniques require a considerable effort at the beginning for the need to completely change the way of approaching to bio-agricolture and for the study of various agronomic techniques and interactions with soils. Organic farming necessarily involves a return from industrial monoculture to a differentiation of crops, reintroducing crop-rotation where Hemp can be added, and also facilitation by organic fertilization techniques.
Stefano Amaducci, Scientific committee president of Federcanapa, explained the techniques of cultivation of hemp for industrial use (textiles) applied in Italy and abroad (seed use) and the HEMP-SYS Project for textile use experimentation. Rachele Invernizzi, CEO South Hemp Tecno, outlined the industrial use of products derived from hemp in the field of green building and the different possible applications of industrial hemp. Beppe Croce, President of Federcanapa, has instead highlighted the sequential use of resources related to hemp that means the possibility to use in timeline hemp products which has the advantage of keeping for a long time the CO2 trapped in the products. Then recalled the reality of biodistricts in Italy, which as territorial local clusters are growing and where the use of cannabis cultivated with organic methods can be integrated and desirable.
During and after the various presentations of the speakers, there were a lot of questions / answers with the audience attentive and responsive.
