Assessment of the carbon balance of industrial hemp cultivation in Ukraine and its impact on achieving carbon neutrality

The aim of the study was to determine the climatic potential of industrial hemp as a tool for carbon sequestration and to assess its contribution to achieving carbon neutrality in Ukraine’s agricultural sector. The work employed a systematic analysis of contemporary scientific research, an analysis of official statistical data on areas under industrial hemp cultivation, as well as elements of a full life cycle assessment approach to identify emission sources within the cultivation process chain. For the quantitative evaluation of the climatic effect, a computational model of a “digital twin” of a one-hectare hemp field was developed for typical soil and climatic conditions of the Forest-Steppe zone of Ukraine. Based on the modelling of the “digital twin” of the hemp field and the calculated parameters, three carbon sequestration scenarios were established: low, medium and high, reflecting minimum, average and maximum biomass yield levels. It was determined that under the low, medium and high scenarios, the potential absorption amounts to approximately 15.5, 16.5 and 24.75 tonnes of CO₂ per hectare over a single growing season, respectively. At the same time, direct CO₂ emissions from the combustion of diesel fuel used for field operations in the baseline cultivation model were estimated at approximately 0.421 tonnes of CO₂ per hectare, indicating a substantial predominance of sequestration processes over agrotechnological emissions. Under the low scenario, the volume of absorption exceeds direct emissions by approximately 36.8 times; under the medium scenario, by approximately 38 times; and under the high scenario, by 58.8 times. Scenario modelling, developed on the basis of official statistical data on industrial hemp cultivation areas, demonstrated that even with relatively small sown areas, industrial hemp cultivation showed positive dynamics in achieving decarbonisation goals and enhancing the role of agriculture in the national carbon balance. The practical value of the study lies in the possibility of using the obtained results to substantiate carbon farming programmes, integrate industrial hemp into climate policy, and plan the development of processing infrastructure