What do industrial hemp and farmworker housing have in common? Hemp insulation or what some call 'hempsulation.' A groundbreaking initiative using industrial hemp building materials aimed to address the issue of farmworkers' housing in Fresno County is on the horizon in this Fresno County city.
The housing project will consist of 33 single-family homes on the east side of Huron. Not only would the development be sustainable and carbon-passive, but it would be the first 'Small Hemp Home Village' in the country, according to Huron Mayor Rey León.
León said the housing project is a "pilot that we can learn from and build off from so that we could further sequester carbon and make homes more comfortable, less toxic, and more efficient." Rudy Arredondo, founder and president of Latino Farmers and Ranchers International, said hemp is 'incredibly versatile.'
Latino Farmers and Ranchers International, based in Washington, D.C., represents more than 75,000 Latino farmers in the United States. A housing land blessing ceremony led by Grupo Tonalkalko from Fresno took place Thursday (Dec. 7) at Huron Park Estates – one of the locations of the housing project - to celebrate the collaboration and partnership between Latino Farmers & Ranchers International with West Valley farmer Tom Pires, and Mike McGuire, the president of Western Fiber company who grew up in Hanford.
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