The environmental sustainability of hemp: common metrics and a consideration of cultivation geography

Publication date: 05-06-2026
Extent: 16 pages

Contributions by: Christopher Dillis and Van Butsic, University of California-Berkeley, USA

Chapter synopsis:

This chapter explores the sustainability of hemp by examining prevalent metrics such as water use, nitrogen input, and pesticide requirements, and offers a new metric: cultivation geography. While hemp has been lauded for its lower water and nitrogen needs compared to other crops and its potential for phytoremediation and bioenergy production, the novelty of this crop in emerging regions also highlights the need to understand where hemp is grown within agricultural and natural landscapes. The chapter therefore also presents a case study analyzing the geographic distribution of hemp farms in California, comparing them to THC cannabis and general crops. Based on several geographic impact metrics, hemp is more similar to general agriculture than it is to THC cannabis, yet is still situated in slightly more impact-prone areas than the former. This underscores the importance of mindful geographic expansion to enhance the environmental sustainability of the hemp industry.

DOI: 10.19103/AS.2025.0161.14