Men's Hemp Shed

La Trobe Valley has had a protracted period of economic hardship and unemployment.

Men's Sheds endeavour to provide some relief from such harsh realities by providing a place for meaningful activities, social inclusion and mental health for males within their communities.

The objective of this education, training and skills development program is to enable community members (including members of the Australian Men’s Shed Association) to learn the complete process of eco-sustainable (non-THC) hemp farming – from seeding, planting, cultivating and harvesting through to the development and quality control testing of hemp-based building material products (e.g., hempcrete wall and ceiling panels).

Community members will undertake end-to-end training on how to plant, cultivate and harvest hemp (stems/branches), make these into carbon-absorbing, healthy building materials (hempcrete wall and ceiling panels - as alternatives to plasterboard), do quality control testing and get these products to the construction market.

With sustainability, environmental, community inclusion and mental health benefits, this project will be a ‘livelihood and job creation’ stimulus towards a new industry for the region – participants moving on to establish or work within farms/businesses in the hemp building material industry and thus contributing to a more prosperous economy for the La Trobe Valley.