Improving the marketing potential of rural area through the cultivation of the industrial hemp

Abstract

In presently, industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) represents a controversial plant that is not researched enough. The aim of the study presented in this paper is to show that marketing of the rural areas can be done through the cultivation of industrial hemp. Hemp has a huge marketing potential which can be a tool of rural development in Serbia. Concrete results are given from the point of the view of three groups: people who reside in cities, owners of healthy food markets and producers. The author presented survey research which shows that the majority of people are not well educated about the difference between marijuana and industrial hemp. There is a common opinion that the production of industrial hemp itself is an advertisement of a rural area. The contribution and significance of herein presented results lies in the marketing of underdeveloped rural areas, redevelopment of cultivation of sidelined agricultural crops in order to strengthen the rural area.