Many people do not know exactly how cannabis cultivation has advanced farming technologies. For many years, marijuana cultivation was taboo. As such, scientists, researchers, and academicians refused to properly acknowledge the contributions that many marijuana growers have given to the science of agriculture.
These technologies might positively affect the entire cannabis cultivation industry. It can change the way plants grow and the infrastructure of the farm. For example, growing tents and the system can be modified directly from the technology to fit the production process. The software will be updated on these grow tents which help farmers track their plants’ data. To understand these growing tents further, check out this article for updated knowledge regarding cannabis tents.
When it comes to legacy, most people associate marijuana with art. Marijuana use has become so prevalent in many artists that being high and successful has become one of the chief characteristics of prolific artists. Bob Marley is one of the most notable names among them. But when it comes to farming, nobody thinks about the contributions of marijuana cultivation. It does not help that marijuana growers are stereotyped as fun hippies, not as serious farmers, inventors, or plant scientists.
Source / Advanced cannabis cultivation method
The information is out there. Unfortunately, despite the abundance of information online and offline, many people are still unaware that marijuana growers are serious farmers and businesspeople. The bad press on marijuana as an illicit drug has sadly outshined the meticulous work these growers have given to perfect their farming methods.
In today’s time, as our society becomes more open to marijuana, many learnings in marijuana farming that have influenced modern-day agriculture are coming into view.
In a nutshell, innovations and inventions arise from the need to address challenges and problems. This need compels people to produce innovative and inventive things. Marijuana’s status as an illegal substance has compelled many growers to invent and innovate throughout the years. And many people did not realize the extent to which cannabis cultivation uses advanced farming technologies until these innovative farming practices became more mainstream and adopted by other, more traditional farmers.
Suppose you are curious to know how cannabis cultivation has advanced farming technologies. In that case, this article discusses how marijuana growers have influenced the modern-day science of agriculture.
How does Cannabis Cultivation use enhanced farming technologies?
Sustainable and environment-friendly farming practices were the unintended side effects of the secrecy in cultivating cannabis. Because it is illegal and nearly impossible to cultivate marijuana in a huge swath of land. Many cannabis cultivation enthusiasts grow their crops because importing weed through borders is dangerous, risky, and expensive. Especially in colder countries, many enthusiasts opt to plant their marijuana plants indoors where they can control the environment, the temperature, and even the humidity.
This practice of growing plants indoors has improved the technology in cannabis cultivation using technologies such as hydroponics, aeroponics, grow lights, and others. These practices are sustainable and environmentally friendly because they do not require artificial fertilizers. What’s more, pest control is not needed because they are indoors.
The water in these technologies is also recycled, so the plants use only a fraction of what is traditionally used in traditional farming. Today, many of these technologies are being promoted and introduced to many farming communities to sustainably cultivate healthy and traditional crops like tomatoes, strawberries, cabbage, lettuce, and other vegetables and berries.
The great news is that this sustainable farming method is being practiced by some of the best seed banks of marijuana that ship in the US.
Source / Vertical cannabis cultivation
At the moment, the whole world is moving to more sustainable and environment-friendly innovations. The whole concept of indoor farming, which is popular for many marijuana growers, is being adopted by governments and even private companies to produce crops ethically. Currently, indoor farming is largely practiced in countries such as Japan, Taiwan, and the United States of America. Interestingly, this trend is becoming more popular in other countries as well.
In fact, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has reported that roughly 20% of the global food supply is now being grown in cities. With more and more people living in highly urbanized areas worldwide, the need for indoor farming will not disappear soon. In fact, it has been projected that crops and foods grown using the indoor farming method will soon dominate our markets. According to Allied Market Research, vertical farming will earn significant amounts and reach $24.11B by 2030 as compared to the $3.24B in 2020.
Another important legacy of cultivating marijuana is the organic farming of crops. Marijuana plants are consumed through the leaves. When someone uses pesticides on the leaves, the chances of inhaling these chemicals are high. As such, most cannabis growers outright refuse to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides in the cultivation of marijuana.
When you have gone to the markets in recent years, you might have noticed the aisles of organic foods. Organic crops are now a huge industry. However, even before this ethical trend was introduced to the general populace, marijuana growers had already been practicing organic farming for many decades.
As you think about it, don’t you feel proud that the concept of more efficient land use, less water use, no pesticides, no artificial fertilizer, and year-round availability of crops have all now become mainstream, the very concept that our forefathers who had to illicitly plant marijuana introduced? Indeed, their technology has truly changed the farming game forever.
Agriculture as a science and as an industry has improved a lot. The trend now is in sustainable and ethical farming of crops. It is incredible to learn and discover that these so-called innovations in farming have been influenced immensely by the cultivation of marijuana. I know you are impressed and have your mind blown by how cannabis cultivation has advanced farming technologies globally. So next time you light that joint, appreciate the legacies of the age-old farming of marijuana to our modern agriculture. We hope that through this article, we can open up more serious conversations about the advocacy for a more open society for cannabis cultivation and cannabis business.