Paper short abstract:

For years the Susa Valley has been at the centre of an environmental conflict concerning the construction of a high-speed railway. However, the environmental degradation of the valley is broad and intertwines its industrial past and present. Can hemp represent a remediation for a polluted territory?

Paper long abstract:

For years the Susa Valley (Western Alps, Italy) has been the scene of an environmental conflict concerning the construction of a new high-speed railway line between Turin and Lyon. The movement opposing the project, the No TAV movement, has expressed strong criticism of unnecessary and harmful large-scale works. In decades of activity it has organised several campaigns, sharing claims with other Italian and international social movements.

However, the environmental problems of the Susa Valley are not limited to the construction site of the new Turin-Lyon line. One case in particular of pollution from a steel plant has worried its inhabitants in recent years, particularly livestock farmers.

In order to overcome this pollution, the question was raised whether hemp could be a solution. A conference was organised by the small local hemp association and discussions were held on the possibility of growing hemp on the land to be decontaminated.

Hemp projects, however, are not limited to this specific case. The local hemp association aims to reconstruct local processing chains that relocate production, reusing industrial heritage and giving new meaning to the local economic pasts.

The paper will explore these dynamics, trying to focus on the difficulties and aspirations that, amidst various ambiguities, drive the projects to cultivate hemp to remediate contaminated soil and propose an alternative economy.