project - EIP-AGRI Operational Group
Multi-purpose applications to resume the hemp supply chain - Multihemp
Context
After years of decline and stagnation, hemp cultivation is rapidly expanding both at European and global level. In Europe, in 2017 the hemp surface exceeded 40,000 hectares, driven largely by seed production and the collection of inflorescences and threshing waste for the extraction of molecules of cosmetic and pharmaceutical interest (source: European Industrial Hemp Association). The exploitation of the stem is possible only where there are industrial processing plants that de-hull and stem the stem to separate the fiber from the shives. Multihemp project addresses the main bottlenecks that prevent the development of an industrial hemp supply chain in Emilia Romagna: the lack of a stable market for fiber and shives, the difficulties of mechanization of the harvesting and the phases of first transformation, the scarce availability of agronomic information related to the choice of genotypes and cultivation techniques, low yield in seed, reduced knowledge related to the exploitation of crop residues for the extraction of secondary metabolites, fragmentation of supply and demand for technical information related to hemp cultivation
Objectives
The general objective of the project is to create the technical, economic and market conditions to support the development of a multi-purpose hemp production chain in Emilia Romagna.
Activities
• Evaluation of cultivation procedures for obtaining products derived from hemp
• Evaluation of specific equipment and equipment for the mechanization of hemp
• Hemp processing tests
• Environmental economic analysis: market survey and LCA
Project details
- Main funding source
- Rural development 2014-2020 for Operational Groups
- Rural Development Programme
- 2014IT06RDRP003 Italy - Rural Development Programme (Regional) - Emilia-Romagna
Location
- Main geographical location
- Bologna
- Other geographical location
- Ferrara, Modena
EUR 237685.41
Total budget
Total contributions from EAFRD, national co-financing, additional national financing and other financing.
Project keyword
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2 Practice Abstracts
The development and optimization of the first transformation plant using the stems collected from hemp crops was planned; the planned tests were carried out, obtaining the required data, no particular problems emerged.
The aim to obtain economic, environmental and market assessments that allowed us to evaluate the sustainability of an industrial hemp supply chain in Emilia Romagna: the planned tests were carried out obtaining the sought data; At present, there is little economic convenience in pursuing the adoption of the crop with the project premises.
The data and information collected in MultiCanapa has been used by UCSC to elaborate a decision support system that could allow to support the strategic choices (variety choice, production typology, collection methods) and tactics (collection date, drying time in field) of farmers and to provide a tool for planning the hemp crops necessary for the operation of a pre-industrial plant for processing the hemp stem.
The exploitation of the hemp stem is possible only in the presence nearby of industrial processing plants that de-hull and stem the stem to separate the fiber from the shives.
To adjust cultivation to the industrial (not textile) exploitation of hemp, full field cultivation has been carried out. The most suitable varieties have been cultivated, in order to have the maximum potential production of stems, seeds and threshing waste, and to guarantee maturation scaling, to optimize the use of the harvesting devices. The harvest tests carried out using combine harvesters, on which an experimental turbine has been installed to facilitate the recovery of threshing waste, allowed the identification of the optimal settings of the company machines.
The data and information collected are necessary to define the methods and time of harvesting, to maximize the yield of seeds and secondary metabolites with high added value in the threshing waste, define the drying times in the field of the stems until reaching the humidity suitable for the formation of the presses which has subsequently been used for the extraction of the fiber and hemp. Eventually, however, the production of the seed has not been explored in depth, given the legislative uncertainty and the difficulties associated with this raw material.
Contacts
Project coordinator
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CICA BOLOGNA - Consorzio Interprovinciale Cooperative Agricole
Project coordinator
Project partners
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Azienda Agricola Bergonzini Sandro
Project partner
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CREA - Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l'analisi dell'economia agraria
Project partner
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Irecoop Emilia Romagna Soc. Coop
Project partner
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Società Agricola Succi
Project partner
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Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Project partner