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WORLD ANTHROPOLOGICAL UNION

CONGRESS 2024​

Paper

A Study of Himalayan Hemp Ecostay in India from the Perspective of Himalayan Anthropology

presenters

    Madhushree Barik

    Nationality: India

    Residence: India

    Research Scholar

    Presence:Online

Himalayan hemp eco-stay in Uttarakhand exemplifies multispecies sustainable coexistence integrating human, hemp, environment and local culture. By fostering an ecologically balanced relationship of human-nature, it preserves indigenous culture and natural ecosystems. The upsurge in research on hemp is due to its bioeconomic potential for the development of sustainable, durable, and eco-friendly hemp products. The present study explores an eco-friendly homestay called Himalayan hemp eco stay, set up by an architectural couple in the Pauri Garhwal district of Uttarakhand. Along with being India’s first hempcrete homestay, it is carbon-negative, strong, durable, earthquake and fire-resistant, and cost-effective too. The bioeconomic potential of hemp plant parts and the prospects of hemp homestays in Uttarakhand have been discussed in this study. The hempcrete eco-housing which adopts a zero-waste strategy is essential to be the new normal, for it will be propitious for humans and the environment. The study also delves into the antiquity of hempcrete technology in global and national contexts. The ethnographic findings on the application of hemp biomass as well as the field experiences of my stay in this homestay have been included in the study.

Keywords:

Bioeconomic, Eco-stay, Hempcrete, Sustainable, Zero-waste