SUSTAINABILITY
By Dale Sky Jones and Oaksterdam University Faculty
Sustainability isn’t just the practices used on the farm or in the garden; it is a mindset, but as a concept it is simply meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. The three pillars to consider are economic, environmental, and social, informally referred to as people, planet, and profits. Small decisions made every day add up to a larger-sum impact over time. The decision to be more sustainable does not need to be tremendous, sudden, or a costly lift.
Is cannabis cultivation sustainable? Like all agriculture it can be, but it also can be incredibly destructive. Many “old-school” practices were focused on executing a fast harvest and not getting caught in the process. Illegal grow operations and law enforcement abatement actions taken to cripple and destroy illegal grow sites would often release diesel, harsh poisons, and chemical fertilizers directly into the ground and water supply.
In the past, sustainable practices like utilizing solar energy often resulted in enhanced criminal charges for operating a sophisticated illegal operation. The reality of operating under prohibition forced cannabis cultivators into a linear economy, which has a “take, make, dispose” model of production, rather than a circular economic system designed for longevity. The circular concept is simply minimizing the use of resource inputs and reducing waste, pollution, and carbon emissions.
Some elements of the legal commercial cannabis industry have become unsustainable by law, such as excessive packaging requirements and mandated indoor-only cultivation. The influence of the unregulated market is the root of unsustainable implementations in many commercial cultivation regulations worldwide.
The unregulated market ethos was and still is, get in and get out quick. The basic cultivation and manufacturing systems and standard operating procedures utilized today reflect that illicit market approach. This is an indicator that this market is still in its infancy due to immature regulation, production systems, and the operators’ approach to cannabis cultivation.
Sustainable cultivation of legal cannabis means growing responsibly outdoors or in controlled environments and bringing a focus on renewable energy sources, localized production, conserving land, using polyculture and permaculture techniques, preventing soil erosion, conserving water, preserving natural land, conserving resources, using alternative energy sources, responsibly disposing of waste, and reducing the farm’s overall carbon footprint.
From an outdoor farming perspective, there are three concepts at the core of sustainable cannabis production: no-till soil, wildlife-friendly farming, and land sparing.
No-Till Production
“No till” means avoiding any sort of disturbance to the earth. Anything from putting a shovel in the ground to the large-scale evisceration of an entire field is considered “tilling.” No-till production is important because it preserves the soil microbiology. There is a whole living system in the soil that is disturbed every time it is moved.
Prepare soil for winter by continuing not to till and using mulches and cover crops to protect it. It is important to use cover crops because when the plants are removed and not replaced with cover crops, the topsoil is vulnerable to wind erosion and can cause damage to watersheds.
It is important to reinvigorate the soil because cannabis will remove a lot of nutrients, especially nitrogen. Reinvigorate the soil without disturbing it by using dry-crumble fertilizers and amendments as top dressing. When pelletized or dried nutrients are used, they slow release as the plants are watered, and they are broken down in the soil. Fertilizing this way avoids the use of synthetic liquid nutrients or the necessity to till the soil.
When plants are cultivated in nonagricultural zones such as forests, strong nutrient-water solutions invariably seep into the ecosystem. One way to eliminate this is to grow in a “closed system” so that the water never gets into the water stream. Wicking systems and hydroponic systems use water without letting any of it leave the system.
A polyculture cannabis garden. Photo: GreenSourceGardens
Wildlife-Friendly Farming
Wildlife should not be shot and killed simply for being on the farm property. Use fencing and disruptive stimuli to scare the animals away to keep them from disrupting the farm. Practicing conservation agriculture means minimal disruption to nature and wildlife. In the United States, Second Amendment rights do not apply to those who use, consume, or are in possession of cannabis. Consult an attorney. Be thoughtful and cautious about choosing to have guns on the farm or at the grow facility.
Land Sparing & Permaculture
Land sparing means preserving as much of the land that is not being cultivated as possible. This means not disrupting the natural ecosystem and not taking too many resources from the land. Never clear-cut trees to set up a farm. Choose a site where the farm will have the least impact on the land as well as the creatures and plants that live on it.
Sustainable commercial and personal growers are adopting permaculture and other regenerative techniques to not only preserve the land but increase the quality of the crop.
Permaculture is a growing method that is not specific to cannabis. The term means “permanent culture” and refers to practices that mimic nature to preserve its biodiversity while cultivating crops needed to sustain human life. In nature there is a balance and natural systems of nutrition, companion planting, and soil biodiversity. Nature has its own cycle of regeneration. Permaculture is really about the diversity of life in the garden environment. Crops are cycled through the fields, and each adds to the biodiversity of the soil.
Permaculture is opposed to monocropping. Monocropping is growing the same plants, often genetically identical, on the same space year after year. Doing so depletes nutrients and diversity in the soil and makes the plants themselves more susceptible to disease.
Growers who pursue land sparing and permaculture styles of production must work with the weather and terroir of the garden space. Outdoors there are a lot of different types of climates to plan around. Growers must design to work with the land and its microclimate.
Landsparing relies heavily on companion planting, which means planting different types of plants next to each other to increase the health and vitality of the whole garden. Marigolds are commonly used companion plants to cannabis and are used both as indicator and trap plants because thrips preferentially feed on their flowers, indicating an impending infestation.
Hot peppers are another great option for companion planting. The same capsaicin that gives peppers their spicy flavor and sensation is released by the roots and is found in the rhizosphere, where they are planted. As ground-dwelling rodents are chomping away and taste the capsaicin, they turn and dig the other way.
Many growers plant flowers and herb crops that repel herbivores or attract beneficial insects. In addition to indicator plants, growers can simultaneously cultivate banker plants that act as natural habitats and breeding locations for predatory insects that will also assist in pest mitigation in the canopy (Miller & Rebek 2018).
The more synthetic sprays are eliminated in the garden, the more sustainable it is.
What about the Bees?
Cannabis is a wind-pollinated plant and does not rely on insects for pollination, so it produces no nectar, which is what bees use to produce honey. However, bees do collect cannabis pollen to produce bee pollen. There is concern because honeybee populations have dwindled. Being bee safe means not using sprays that impact beneficials and preserving their natural habitats.
Photo: James Loud
Soil Erosion
Soil erosion has major impacts on daily human life. A good example is the Dust Bowl. Settlement policies tied to the American policy of “Manifest Destiny” encouraged the mass tilling and monocropping of the Great Plains. Settler-farmers created the perfect disaster conditions through heavy tilling and the removal of the natural grasses that held the topsoil in place. A single dry year coupled with a wind storm created huge black clouds of dust that traveled as far away as New York City and contributed to the largest economic depression in US history. The Dust Bowl was a completely human-made crisis that wouldn’t have happened if the settlers hadn’t removed all the native plants that held down the topsoil.
There are huge consequences for disturbing the environment; using no-till farming and permaculture methods, topsoil is preserved and the damages of soil erosion are mitigated or prevented. Mulching and cover crops are a natural regenerative way to avoid soil erosion.
Water Conservation
Water conservation entails rainwater harvesting, reducing and reusing water, using hydroponics production, reusing condensate from dehumidification, establishing ponds, and employing permaculture techniques. Proper companion planting assists in soil moisture retention.
Depending on climate, rainwater can be difficult to rely on as the sole water source. It takes 80,000 to 100,000 gallons of water or more to cultivate a quarter acre (10 hectares) of cannabis. One way to collect rainwater is to establish a pond that rainwater on the property is directed to.
The two best water-conserving techniques are to use a hydroponic system or a “reservoir” system. Both systems have less impact on the land than planting in the ground or in drain-to-waste, raised beds, in which much of the water sinks below root level.
Most hydro systems do not release water. Instead, they contain it in the system so it never or rarely interacts with the surrounding environment. The reason the plant is placed in position is to enjoy the sun, not the soil.
Reservoir systems often use planting mix in containers, but capture the water underneath in a tray that serves as a reservoir. No water leaches into the ground. Instead, the water uses capillary action and wicks to hydrate the planting mix, and/or the water irrigates the top of the mix using a very small water pump.
Energy Conservation
Energy conservation is key to reducing the carbon footprint of any cultivation operation. The carbon footprint of the cannabis industry is massive because of specialty agriculture products, widespread indoor cultivation without renewable energy sources, and mass export from growing regions.
Alternative energy sources such as wind turbines and solar panels make a farm operate more sustainably. Although the cost of installation can be prohibitive, in the long run the returns are much greater by not having to pay for or rely on a power utility for energy.
The first way to conserve energy is to analyze it. What can’t be measured can’t be managed. After reducing, energy usage efficiency can be improved. Replace energy-intensive infrastructure and switch to solar panels.
Types of Alternative Energy Collectors
There are three main sources of alternative energy that can be produced on the farm: solar, wind, and biomass.
Solar panels are commonly used in cannabis production. Wind turbines are heavily utilized by the Dutch to harness wind energy and are starting to be used in more and more parts of the world. Passive regeneration produced by biomass energy is newer, but a great option because it harnesses the energy produced by decomposing trash. The cost of producing biomass energy is still prohibitive.
Responsible Waste Management
- Reuse: water, resources, soil, nutrients
- Reduce: water, resources, energy, waste
- Recycle: water, plastic, paper, glass, etc.
- Compost: soil, leaves, stems, food wastes
It is important to not only reuse, reduce, and recycle but to close the consumption loop by composting food and garden waste.