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Latvia
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Latvia
Obeliskas, which lies in Latgale, eastern Latvia.
Obeliskas, which lies in Latgale, eastern Latvia.

Whenever the talk is about hemp, or as most people know it – cannabis, they rather think about the drug than the raw material. However, hemp has a long history of being grown and used throughout the ages – it was only since after World War 2 and the consequent prohibition of cannabis as a drug in the United States that the plant became so negatively connoted. The legal situation in Germany, for example, is a very difficult one, since the possession of even the smallest amount of any part of the plant is being prosecuted by law.

In recent years however, the tides began to shift with the widespread legalization of the product throughout the world. While, in general, still being illegal in Germany, the medical use of marihuana has been allowed, but only if the THC-level of the product lies below 0.2 percent. The growing of hemp for industrial use is allowed, but very difficult to realize since agriculturalists are obligated to get a license – which is by no means easy to obtain. In Latvia, the situation is a similar one – cannabis with THC is being prosecuted by the law, but it is possible to grow non-THC plant varieties, as long as agriculturalists have a license and the plants are being grown on a field and not indoors or in a greenhouse

The shed with useful machines for harvesting.
The shed with useful machines for harvesting.

Especially in the light of the current development of our planet, with climate change being an issue that affects all of us, the world’s population growing from day to day and consuming a lot of resources, mostly non-renewable and non-degradable, it is of utmost importance to focus on renewable and sustainable materials. Luckily, part of the answer is in plain sight: the forbidden hemp plant, which has been unjustly criminalized, is beginning to grow back into focus. Hemp has many different facets, it can be used for building, for clothes, for food and even as medicine. To find out more about the benefits of the plant, we decided to venture on a journey to Obeliskas, a tiny village in the heart of Latvia, where we met Andris and Deborah, who gave us insights into their hemp farm. There they produce lots of different hemp-related products and run a school that has the goal to educate people about the benefits of hemp.

In Obeliskas, which lies in the eastern part of Latvia in the Latgale region, Andris and Deborah made their dream of running a hemp farm come true. It has already been three years since the family moved from London to Latvia to transform a rundown farm into something truly special. The beginning posed challenges – from getting stuck in the middle of a muddy road on their first day in Latvia, to rebuilding the old houses and the
infrastructure to make the place livable – it was lots of hard work until the point where the hemp farm project began to run smoothly.

Hemp field in early july.
Hemp field in early july.

Andris and Deborah founded the hemp farm without much in-depth knowledge or educational background about hemp as a material. Thus, they had to find out all the facts about growing conditions, products and production by themselves, sometimes even by trial-and-error. When talking with us about the process of gathering information on growing hemp, Andris told us: “there was a lot of YouTube involved. Also, we learned a lot
out of reading. We expected it would be a little easier to get detailed information, for example about when to plant, which seeds to choose…

Somehow, I put in my head that it would be very easy to get the information, but it’s not. We did a lot of mistakes, but everything is possible and seeing how this is developing, and still getting more and more interesting, being involved in all of this as a family – it’s really amazing.” Andris and Deborah kept finding out more, and with time, became experts themselves. They told us a lot about the variety of benefits you can get out of the hemp plant. While the plant, from an agricultural perspective, is in general great for the soil it grows on, there is, for instance, the possibility of making a variety of everyday-products out of hemp, such as paper or other materials. Out of the hemp fibers ropes, cloth, and clothes are being made, at the same time the fibers can be used for building insulation in the form of hempcrete, hemp is even being used in the car industry. Moreover, many parts of the plant can be used in the kitchen. For instance, while squeezing out the oil out of the seed, one also gets the hemp protein. Also, the hemp flower is being used for tea and even the roots are edible – and, according to Andris, it`s great against diseases, such as stomach pains.

Some benefits of hemp.
Some benefits of hemp.

Having learned a lot from their experiences, Andris and Deborah decided to pass on their knowledge. Their idea of the Obelisk Farm consists not only of growing and producing hemp, their focus also lies on sharing the information with other people. On the one hand, Andris has been visiting schools to educate the kids there about hemp and showing them how to make their own hemp paper. “I really want to get the stigma out, that it is not for smoking. If there are 30 kids in a class, while being really excited about making the paper, maybe one will really remember it and even go to university to learn more about it and develop the ideas.”

On the other hand, Andris and Deborah, while going about their usual farming business during the summer months, have also created the opportunity to visit the farm as a tourist. They offer hemp tours, hemp workshops and as of now, even a hemp museum is on its way. The idea of passing on the knowledge is especially important to Andris, who believes that, because of its sustainability, hemp might be the rescue of the planet: “My dream, in general, is for hemp to become so common, that the idea of using hemp to save the planet reaches the people – the main idea is that hemp can save the planet. People justneed to know about it. I think it will happen in our lifetime, it’s achievable.”

Self-made oil out of hemp seeds.
Self-made oil out of hemp seeds.
Andris is showing us how to extract the fibre.
Andris is showing us how to extract the fibre.

This is the reason behind the interactive workshop Andris and Deborah are offering during summer and early autumn. They also told us about how the most important thing is the fact, that it is hands on experience: “I think it is very important that you don’t just tell people ‘oh you can do this, you can do that’ and that’s it. We have the tours, people come to our farm and they see what we do, and then they get the opportunity to try it out themselves. They learn how to break the straws, how to extract the sheaves, they have a tasting of the products we are actually making here… It’s very important that you can feel and touch the products and experience them with all senses, that really facilitates the idea, what the material actually is.”

Furthermore, they also publish hemp related YouTube videos and run their own hemp blog, which ensures the diffusion of the information all over the globe. In addition, Andris and Deborah both are going back to university, to broaden their knowledge even more. While Deborah will be starting a course in media and communication, which also, in a way, will help the development of their media appearance, Andris goes back to university to study more about food technology, to gather more knowledge in that area.

At the same time, since Obelisk Farm is producing food already, Andris partakes in a big food exhibition of the Baltic States every year, where all the food companies display their products. That way, even more people get to learn about the benefits of hemp.

Andris’ and Deborah’s biggest challenge yet is the hemp school project, which they want to be available during the whole year, not just the warm months: “We hope that we can make the hemp school to be available, for it not to be seasonal… We don’t have proper ceilings, floors and heating yet, so we dream of having that, so we can continue throughout the winter. We want to give people the opportunity to be able to come here and learn about hemp all year long. In the summer months, the hemp is growing, but in the winter, after the summer harvest, the farm life continues. We have to dry and clean the seeds, arranging everything for the production. The hemp school should be going on during that time, too.”

The entry of the hemp school.
The entry of the hemp school.
This is what the inside of the hemp schools meeting room looks like.
This is what the inside of the hemp schools meeting room looks like.

The hemp plant is a great example of how easy it could be to maintain sustainability in the day-to-day life of many people. While the individual can make use of the hemp plant on a small basis, it is clear, how good for the planet it would be, if for example construction firms would be using hemp for insulation, instead of other materials.

Sadly, it seems as if it would still be a long way to the widespread re-establishment of hemp as an everyday material, due to most governments still being really strict about the plant. If the process of getting the permission to grow hemp wouldn’t be such a difficult one, maybe more agriculturalists would be growing hemp, increasing the possibility and accessibility of a sustainable, natural material, that can be used in almost every part of our lives.

It is really important to see the plant for what it is and can be, rather than criminalizing and prosecuting it. So let’s hope, together with Andris and Deborah, that the re-growth of the hemp
plant isn’t that far away in the future, and that more people realize, how important, and also how simple it could be to integrate more sustainability into our everyday life.

Deborah, Julian, Andris, Sima and the kids.
Deborah, Julian, Andris, Sima and the kids.
Nature, Culture

Obelisk Farm in Latvia

Whenever the talk is about hemp, or as most people know it – cannabis, they rather think about the drug than the raw material. We have been at Obilisk farm in Latvia where we met a family who is fighting against those stereotypes. Especially in the light of the current development of our planet, with climate change being an issue that affects all of us, the world’s population growing from day to day and consuming a lot of resources, mostly non-renewable and non-degradable, it is of utmost importance to focus on renewable and sustainable materials like hemp. Read more about its benefits in our latest article…

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