Canola, Hemp, and Bamboo: A Soil-Centered Comparison

When it comes to farming systems, crops are not just a product they are a relationship with soil, water, and the ecosystems they inhabit. To truly evaluate canola, hemp, and bamboo, we must move past yield charts and market trends and ask the harder question:

 What happens to the soil beneath these crops, and what legacy do they leave behind?

Canola (Brassica napus)
Canola has become a cornerstone broadacre crop across much of Australia. Yet, as a shallow-rooted brassica, its demands on soil fertility are heavy. Canola pulls significant amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus from the soil, leaving behind depletion if artificial inputs are not continually applied.

Its shallow roots do little to build soil organic carbon, and over time, continuous canola production without rotation exhausts microbial diversity and invites pest cycles, particularly fungal pathogens. Water use is high relative to biomass return, and without rotation, soils under canola trend towards compaction, acidity, and biological fatigue. Canola produces volume, but at the cost of living soil health if managed conventionally.

Hemp (Cannabis sativa)
Hemp offers a very different profile. Its deep taproot penetrates and breaks up compacted layers, introducing channels for water infiltration and aeration. This creates a friendlier environment for soil microbes and worms. Hemp is fast-growing, capturing significant carbon and returning a meaningful volume of biomass back to the soil through roots and stubble. While it still draws on soil nitrogen, hemp supports a more balanced cycle, especially when microbial life is active to help recycle nutrients.

Hemp also uses water efficiently producing high biomass per litre compared to many broadacre crops. In fact 70% less in usage of water.

In non-rotational systems, hemp is more forgiving than canola, though still vulnerable to nutrient depletion if the microbial community is not supported. Hemp, when partnered with living microbes, becomes a soil-building crop. and therefore rotation is not required unlike the narrative of industry - we are happy to demonstrate this to save farmers more money on top of the 40% increase in weight - wow - winner for any hemp grower.

Bamboo (Bambusoideae family)
Bamboo is not a broadacre crop in the conventional sense, but as a perennial, it represents a strikingly different relationship with soil. Bamboo roots form dense mats and rhizomes that stabilise soil, reduce erosion, and increase organic matter through constant litter fall. Its perennial nature avoids the destructive cycles of ploughing and reseeding, allowing soil aggregates and microbial communities to mature over time.

Water use is high in establishment, but as a perennial, bamboo becomes efficient — shading soils, reducing evaporation, and creating its own microclimate. Unlike canola or hemp, bamboo doesn’t demand annual nutrient surpluses; instead, it recycles and layers fertility back into the soil system. In non-rotational systems, bamboo is the clear winner for soil integrity and microbial abundance.

The Outcome
When the soil is the measure, the verdict is clear. Canola, while commercially valuable, is extractive and depleting unless heavily subsidised with synthetic inputs as a short-term profit but a long-term cost to the land.

Hemp, in contrast, is regenerative in form and function, but still requires microbial partnerships to truly give back what it takes. Bamboo, while less conventional as a farming crop, demonstrates the power of perennials: deep-rooted, carbon-sequestering, and soil-restoring by design.

As an Earthfood advocate, the lesson is simple: crops will always reflect their relationship with soil biology.

Without microbes, even the most promising crop becomes extractive. With microbes, even demanding crops like hemp can build resilience. And if we look to perennials like bamboo, we glimpse a farming future where the soil is not spent but strengthened with each passing year.

Nitrifying Living-Soil Microbes and Hemp: Unlocking the Full Potential

Soil is not just a medium, it is a living engine. When nitrifying living-soil microbes are present, they perform the unseen labour that transforms farming outcomes. These microbes fix atmospheric nitrogen into plant-available forms, unlock trace minerals tied up in the soil, and regulate nutrient cycling in real time.

They don’t tire, they don’t stop, and they don’t require synthetic top-ups. They simply get to work  regenerating soil fertility from the inside out. In fact third party trials on sugarcane reveal first crops on biological botanical growing yields increase by 15% alone and second crop increases to 35% to 45%.

Just ask us for the evidence. In fact the people behind Earthfood are the only people in the world who have done third party trials on conventional to biological botanical growing to demonstrate this.

Hemp With Microbes: A Perfect Partnership
Hemp is already a crop with soil-building potential, but when paired with nitrifying microbes, its performance shifts into a different league. The deep taproots of hemp provide the physical channels, while microbes deliver the biochemical workforce. This synergy means:

• Increased Biomass and Stalk Volume: With microbes freeing nutrients and reducing plant stress, hemp grows denser, stronger stalks - ideal for fibre and construction materials. Weight increases up to 40% from the second crop if not the first from a 15% start.

• Enhanced Flower and Seed Production: Microbes regulate nutrient flow during flowering, increasing bud density and seed set. This translates to higher yields of protein-rich hemp seed for food markets. High nutrition in the food source means better quality food and healthier people.

• The microbes unlock the trace minerals in the ground and that becomes part of the tissue culture - as only these microbes can do why?????  THESE ARE NITRIFYING LIVING SOIL MICROBES, ALMOST BECOMING EXTINCT ON THE PLANET and nothing like water-borne microbes like compost tea and worm juices. Soil microbes work the soil - that is their job - water borne microbe can feed the plant if very little used - more than that the cycle of insects, plant diseases, pesky weeds and compacted soil is the the killer and then a repeat business model from cartel product range is required for the life of the crop (plus)

• Efficient Water Use: Hemp already uses water efficiently, but microbe-supported soils improve infiltration and retention. Crops remain resilient in both wet and dry cycles.

• Nutrient-Dense Product: Hemp seeds grown in living soils carry more bioavailable minerals and proteins, strengthening their appeal in the global health and food markets.

The Market Potential
Australia sits on the edge of a global hemp boom. Hemp seeds and oils are in demand for protein powders, health foods, and supplements.

Fibres are driving a surge in construction (hempcrete), homewares, and textiles. With secondary product ranges spanning packaging, bioplastics, and even energy storage materials, hemp is more than a crop - it’s an industry ecosystem.

The only roadblocks are not in the soil or the science they are in the blue, red, and green tape that strangles innovation and the farmers. Out-of-date experts, entrenched regulators, and the politics of compliance slow adoption, leaving farmers watching opportunities slip overseas.

• The microbes unlock the trace minerals in the ground and that becomes part of the tissue culture - as only these microbes can do why?????  THESE ARE NITRIFYING LIVING SOIL MICROBES, ALMOST BECOMING EXTINCT ON THE PLANET and nothing like water-borne microbes like compost tea and worm juices. Soil microbes work the soil - that is their job - water borne microbe can feed the plant if very little used - more than that the cycle of insects, plant diseases, pesky weeds and compacted soil is the the killer and then a repeat business model from cartel product range is required for the life of the crop (plus)

A Call for Action
With nitrifying living-soil microbes, Australia has the potential to become the world’s largest exporter of hemp products. From food to fibre, from health to housing, the opportunity is massive. But to get there, we must clear away the bureaucratic clutter and let farmers lead.

Soil biology is ready. Hemp is ready. The question is: are we?

 

Author: Bronwyn Holm as the founder of Earthfood and a dynamic force in the future-proofing of our nation’s soil, food, and health. With internationally certified living-soil microbes that are disrupting the agriculture and growing sector, she brings both credibility and courage to challenge old systems and lead a new path forward. yourearthfood.com