Entitled “Hemp Research Needs Roadmap,” the paper, authored by the Office of the USDA’s Chief Scientist, highlights the historical setback suffered by U.S. hemp research due to prohibition in the latter half of the 20th century. Consequently, there remains a substantial learning curve for the industry to navigate.
While the U.S. hemp sector experienced stagnation, progress continued in regions such as Europe and China, prompting the paper to advocate for international collaboration focusing on technology transfer, capacity-building, and trade facilitation.
Moreover, the paper proposes the establishment of a public-private national hemp consortium to drive advancements and address challenges in key areas such as breeding and genetics, production practices, biobased product manufacturing, and ensuring transparency and consistency across the industry.
Drawing parallels with historical examples, the authors highlight the potential for Europe to serve as a source of expertise for the modernization of the American hemp industry. They stress the importance of bilateral and multilateral development collaborations to leverage successful models from other countries.
The paper underscores the role of international engagements in aligning with USDA goals to enhance the global competitiveness of American agriculture and facilitate access to export markets for producers and manufacturers.
Recognizing the significance of technological advancements, the paper emphasizes the transfer of knowledge from global research endeavors to various facets of the hemp industry, facilitating scalable production and global market penetration.
The necessity for research to address the diverse needs of the hemp industry became evident following the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, which removed industrial hemp from federal prohibition. This legislation paved the way for innovations in breeding, sustainable management practices, processing techniques, and understanding consumer demand.
Despite the identified potential in hemp-derived products, the paper acknowledges the industry’s youthfulness and stresses the importance of stakeholder engagement to identify needs and drive progress collaboratively.
The authors highlight the pivotal role of the public sector, particularly land-grant universities and USDA agencies, in leveraging partnerships to propel research, education, and extension services aimed at fostering successful hemp operations.
Originating from a workshop held in late 2022, which identified knowledge gaps and opportunities for research, the roadmap was developed with the assistance of the Global Hemp Innovation Center at Oregon State University.
In essence, the paper calls for a concerted effort involving international collaboration, public-private partnerships, and stakeholder engagement to realize the full potential of the American hemp industry and position it as a competitive player in the global market.
