Growing Sunn Hemp

Fields of Sunn Hemp line our farm road

The blog posts which I write about the crops which we grow on our farm are quite popular, and as I haven’t written one in a while now, I thought that it was about time to write another – this time about a new crop we’re trying for the first time called Sunn Hemp.

As you know, our farm is 3500 acres in size and the main crops which we grow are beans (seed beans – for export), safflower (for cooking oil) and wheat (for the local flour market) – you can click on any of the crop names mentioned here, which will take you to a previous blog post written about each specific crop.

The Sunn Hemp adds a lovely splash of colour to the surrounding green farm lands

We practice dry land farming – relying solely on rainfall as nothing is irrigated. We are also one of the first farms in Tanzania to practice Zero Till farming (click here to read more about that), a method which is fast catching on here in Tanzania and is being used by more and more of the smaller farmers as well as the bigger commercial farming concerns.

I'm lucky enough to have fields of brilliant yellow flowering Sunn Hemp growing in front of our house at the moment - it's certainly adds to the view !

In addition to all the crops mentioned above, this season we have also planted 160 acres of Sunn Hemp as a soil conditioner. (The seed we have originates from Mexico). Sunn Hemp has a long tap root which means that it aerates the soil nicely and also allows moisture to penetrate it. The roots also help to naturally loosen the soil – so the Sunn Hemp provides a natural way for us to prepare the soil for it’s next crop.

More Sunn Hemp fields in front of our house

The Sunn Hemp we grow will be harvested for it’s seed, which we will then replant as a soil conditioner for future crops. I believe that the crop can also be used to produce fibre and is also sometimes used as a green manure – as it is also a very good nitrogen source. I really like the little yellow flowers which it produces, they add a splash of brilliant yellow against the green backdrop of the farm and the fields are especially pretty when viewed en masse from a distance.