RSD 15 - Data in relation
VIRTUAL EXHIBITION
Infrastructure
Challenges in the Cultivation of Hemp in Himachal
KEYWORD
Govardanan S, Ritvik Kapoor, Samadrita Karmakar, Vivek Kant
Indian Institute of Technology
ABSTRACT
Hemp has a long history of cultivation in the Western Himalayas, yet it remains under-explored in recent Indian history. Growing low THC variants of hemp for its fibre and seeds refurbishes the plant’s image from being a narcotic to an industrial asset. With this in mind, the state of Himachal Pradesh has turned to hemp to supplement traditional routes of revenue generation. Being a sustainable multi-purpose biomass crop, it is fit for cultivation in the fragile Himalayan ecosystem and has been receiving steady government support. This project explores making the process of a farmer’s onboarding into the hemp agro-industrial bioeconomic model comprehensive and seamless.
#hemp #Western Himalaya #sociotechnical system
#agriculture #sustainability
CREATIVE PROCESS
Our creative process started by studying the hemp ecosystem in Himachal Pradesh, identifying biotic and abiotic stakeholders and plotting them on a knowledge-power matrix to find key players. We zoomed in on the best-documented ones, mapping pain points and interventions. The licence process stood out: AgriStack registration plus written applications for certified seeds. Leveraging state e-governance, we digitised it into one app.
IMPLICATIONS AND NEXT STEPS
Hemp farming in Himachal Pradesh faces many challenges. Regulatory hurdles and a complicated licensing process deter farmers, and licensed growers must also source low-THC seeds from approved institutions. Blurred lines between industrial hemp and psychoactive cannabis hamper oversight, bottlenecking the system. Sparse post-harvest processing units and poor market linkages, worsened by the mountainous terrain, discourage farmers. A digital platform could boost networking and farmers’ position.
References
Jehangir, S., et al. (2024). Distribution of the Cannabis sativa L. in the Western Himalayas: A tale of the ecological factors behind its continuous invasiveness. Global Ecology and Conservation, 49. ISSN 2351-9894. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02779
Tewari, V. P., et al. (2017). Climate change effects in the Western Himalayan ecosystems of India: evidence and strategies. Forest Ecosystems, 4, 13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40663-017-0100-4
Placido, D. F., & Lee, C. C. (2022). Potential of Industrial Hemp for Phytoremediation of Heavy Metals. Plants, 11(5), 595. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11050595