Revolutionising the Auroville economy with hemp

Auroville’s grocery outlets have begun to be stocked with an all-new collection of hemp-based products. Hempseed oil, hemp flour, and hemp hearts have hit the shelves thanks to Hemplanet, an Auroville unit that aims to promote the use of a wide array of hemp derivatives and eventually begin hemp cultivation in Auroville. 

Hemp is a hearty and beneficial plant that can be used in its entirety for food, medicines, personal care, textiles, paper products, and construction materials. Its scientific name is Cannabis sativa L. and has minimal levels of the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), therefore making it a distinct strain from the cultivar group used to produce the psychotropic drug. Although the plant originated in the Himalayan region of Asia and has featured throughout Indian history, cultivation has not become widespread and the hemp seeds and fibre that are on the market today in India are harvested primarily from wild-growing plants. However, while the Indian government made marijuana illegal in 1985, it has not included the low-THC hemp, and has put the onus of regulating cultivation and use of this variety on the individual states.

This is where Hemplanet hopes to step in. The commercial unit was officially registered in 2015 by Sasi and Tom after a long process of pitching and rationalising their concept. But both were solidly convinced of the phenomenal attributes of the plant and its derivatives, and the need to bring them to Auroville. “Any problem you can think of can be solved by hemp, from climate change to water scarcity, malnutrition, and a whole range of critical medical conditions,” Tom affirms. “On top of that, one hundred percent of the plant can be used. And where it is cultivated, the plant leaves the soil in better condition.”

The two co-founders each had their own path toward learning about hemp and becoming convinced that it was so desperately needed for the future of Auroville. Sasi first encountered hemp twenty years ago when he was given a hemp shirt and was “smitten with the quality and the texture.” He still has that shirt, a testament to its durability, and has become a passionate advocate of hemp textiles. Hemp first came to Tom’s attention when he was exploring alternative fuels and the practicality of used cooking oil for biodiesel. However, just as he was concluding that this was not viable on a large scale for motorbikes, he encountered hempseed oil, and his interest in hemp developed rapidly from there. “I felt that hemp was the one thing that could offer Auroville a sustainable future and bolster the economy,” Tom explains. “And if we can get away from burning oil for fuel, hemp can be used to make capacitors and batteries as well.” 

A well-researched start

As both Tom and Sasi had experience as filmmakers, their first major endeavour in 2018 was to create a short documentary about the developmental status of the hemp industry in India, which in turn allowed them to meet just about everyone in the fledgling hemp-processing community in India. 

By the beginning of 2019, they were ready to start unveiling the benefits of hemp in a tangible form. Hemplanet had a stall at the Lively Up Your Earth eco-music festival held at Auroville’s Solitude Farm where they shared information about hemp and displayed bricks, textiles, and paper all derived from hemp. A week later, the stall was set up at the Youth Center’s fair. As a result of a chance encounter at the latter event, Sasi and Tom were put into contact with an Italian supplier of hemp products who was able to give them samples of 3D printed hemp plastic, hemp flour, and hemp paper. 

Since April, they have put out their own range of products, with hemp procured from Uttarakhand and processed at their Hemplanet facility in Auroville. From the seeds, they have marketed whole seeds, dehulled, ready-to-eat hemp hearts, and hempseed oil. Using the leftover cake from pressing the oil, they have ground hempseed flour. And from textiles made with 60 to 70% hemp fibre, they have also been producing small purses. 

In addition, Tom and Sasi have been actively reaching out to units around Auroville to propose using hemp-based alternatives for textiles, oil, and flour. Already Eco-Femme has used some of the fabric for their sanitary pads and Colours of Nature has collaborated to dye some of the hemp fabric with natural indigo. Maroma has tried out hempseed oil for some of their soaps and shampoos. The Auroville Bakery and Bread & Chocolate have both used hemp flour for their baked goods. Even the Auroville ice cream units are considering hempseed milk as a vegan alternative. And an architecture volunteer at the Earth Institute is exploring the possibilities of using hurd (the woody inner core of a hemp stalk) mixed with lime to create “hempcrete.” 

“We want to get Auroville units involved, and then talk to the farmers around Auroville,” Sasi says. “It’s going to take a little bit of time for people to come on board.”

Getting a hemp policy in place

At this point, there is not a hemp policy for Tamil Nadu, but it is necessary for hemp to be grown locally. “We need to get a few interested groups together to lobby the government to give us the permissions to start working on a policy,” says Sasi. Already, this action is underway to get all states across India to have common policies, and Tom stresses the importance they have put on streamlining presentations and standardising terminology for maximum impact. Especially when considering the possibility of export, because different countries put a cap on the acceptable THC levels in industrial hemp at different levels ranging from 0.02 to 0.1%. “Several Indian universities are looking at hemp to find viable seeds, which will be important if we want to grow it here in Auroville, since we cannot just use the wild seed from the north,” Sasi adds. 

This policy is critical to wider use of hemp in Auroville. The state of Uttarakhand, where Hemplanet currently sources its hemp seeds, does not allow for hemp cultivation without a license, though it is legal to sell hemp seeds. As a result, the seeds are often collected from wild-growing hemp by rural residents and pooled together to be sold in bulk. However, without widespread cultivation, the supply can be inconsistent and Hemplanet was unable to source a new supply of hempseeds for two months recently, despite the Auroville demand for them.  

Having hemp cultivated locally would help with supply issues and also dramatically cut down on the transportation. To get started, Hemplanet needs to get government support and then start looking at what variety will grow successfully in the tropical monsoon climate of Auroville. “We have thought that it might be possible in collaboration with a local university with an agriculture department to have one or two acres for hemp cultivation,” Tom says.  

The future of Hemplanet

While currently, Hemplanet is active in promoting, sourcing, and processing hemp as well as producing a range of its own products, Sasi and Tom ultimately envision investing in further machinery so that their unit can concentrate on being the processing intermediary: taking raw hemp grown by farmers in the region and processing it into oil, flour, textiles, etc. to be used and distributed in final form by other Auroville units. The goal is to create a self-sustaining hemp-based economy, with Hemplanet merely supporting the circuit through its expert knowledge and processing capabilities. 

“In the long term, we could actually have two outcomes,” explains Sasi. “Auroville being a small community, hemp can really transform it, and not just on an economic level. But also whatever is developed here can then be replicated throughout India, and perhaps even the world.”

At this phase they are still building community support and spreading knowledge through their website, video tutorials, and participation in events. This month, they hosted a workshop with YouthLink where participants made rope with hemp fibre and ate a hemp-based meal featuring hemp burgers and other delicious vegan dishes. 

But with the uptake of hemp derivatives already beginning in Auroville, research underway, and the possibility of a hemp policy for Tamil Nadu, it is only a matter of time before hemp enters full force into Auroville. And, as Tom suggests, “Then perhaps even Auroville Today can be printed on hemp paper!”