Framework of Circular Economy Applied to Agriculture

Framework of Circular Economy Applied to Agriculture: History

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Subjects: Agricultural Economics & Policy

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CE arises as an economic approach within the framework of sustainable development, which aims to produce goods and services while reducing the consumption and waste of raw materials in the production chain, water, and sources of energy. Hence, CE is a model of production and consumption that contrasts with linear models and aims at the efficient use of resources through waste minimization, long-term value retention, a reduction of primary resources, and closed loops of products, product parts, and materials within the boundaries of environmental protection and socioeconomic benefits. In relation to the principles of sustainable production, it focuses on the reuse of waste to create new products, the reduction of the environmental impact of production, and the regeneration of natural systems.

circular economy
agriculture
circular agriculture
food security

1.1. Background and Conceptual Framework

In recent years, the high demand for food globally coupled with climate change and environmental degradation urged considering the circular economy (CE) as a key strategy to support sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

The environmental impact of agriculture is the effect that different agricultural practices have on the environment and varies according to the methods, techniques, and technologies used, as well as the scale of agricultural production. Therefore, agriculture impacts soil, water, air, biodiversity, people, plants and their genetic diversity, and the quality of food and habitats. Indeed, intensive agriculture is a major producer of the emissions associated with fertilizers, pesticides and manure, the main source of pollution of freshwater, and the primary cause of biodiversity loss through land-use change and environmental degradation.

Society has reconciled new sustainable solutions and models of agriculture, such as precision agriculture, permaculture, regenerative agriculture, sustainable soil management, or organic agriculture. In this order, the alliance of agriculture with sustainability makes it possible to move from regenerative agriculture, sustainable soil management, and organic farming to the CE.

Agriculture is well adapted to the precepts of the CE as an economic concept included in the framework of sustainable development. This comprises a set of human actions dedicated to the transformation of the natural environment to provide the world’s food, which depends on both the climate and the techniques implemented to make the land fertile. It is an activity of great strategic importance for the self-sufficient development and capital of the countries.

1.2. Theoretical Framework: Circular Economy Applied to Agriculture

In recent years, different organizations worldwide are investing in sustainable bio-economy, which refers to the set of economic activities focused on obtaining products and services that generate economic value using biological resources as raw material, and that represents a more viable opportunity to direct current economies toward greater sustainability in the use of natural resources both in agriculture and industry, and in economic growth. In this context, economies are being directed toward greater sustainability in the use of natural resources both in agriculture and industry, and for economic growth.

According to the UN, circular agriculture focuses on using minimal amounts of external inputs to regenerate soils and minimize the impact on the environment. Likewise, it helps to guarantee a reduction in land use as well as limits the use of chemical fertilizers and the production of waste in order to reduce global emissions and contribute to the fight against climate change. In any activity framed within CE, the reuse and recycling of materials become part of the usual production decisions. On the other hand, this type of action encourages the creation of new job opportunities for those who work with the materials to be recycled.

At a global level, fruit and vegetable production is a key sector in bio-economy and must be kept economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable. In the fruit and vegetable sector, the development of new varieties is common, thus the efficiency in the use of fertilizers, organic amendments, water and energy, the integrated pest control systems, disease and weeds, as well as the precision agriculture are key for both a better use and, especially, a reduction of the impact on sustainability in relation to the economic approach of the CE.

New biofertilizers and phytosanitary products allow crops to adapt to new agroecological conditions, resist biotic and abiotic stresses, or incorporate new functionalities. The reuse of their own waste and by-products from their environment to obtain fertilizing products with added value suitable for fruit and vegetable crops will lead to an improvement in the efficiency and sustainability of these activities.

For these reasons, the main question is to determine how CE is implemented in agriculture. Therefore, recycling and reuse are tools that enable agriculture to achieve circularity from the use of organic waste or recycling plastics and packaging. The reuse of water is also key in the process of implementing circular agriculture since in many regions around the world, this resource is used for agricultural irrigation, improving the ecological flows of rivers or recharging aquifers and wetlands. Hence, circular agriculture seeks to close the life cycle of products, services, waste, water, and energy in order to seek better use and a reduction of the ecological impact.

This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/agronomy12030620

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