Application of circular economy principles to New Zealand pastoral farming systems

Abstract

Global food production is under pressure to produce more from limited resources, with further expectations to reduce waste and pollution and improve social outcomes. Circular economy principles aim to design out waste and pollution, minimise the use of nonrenewable external inputs and increase the lifespan of products and materials. Waste sources on New Zealand farms and options to reduce waste and improve circularity were reviewed. Waste reduction should begin with systems design, while recycling should be at the bottom of the hierarchy. On-farm resource use efficiency has been widely studied, but there are also opportunities to repurpose waste and integrate systems. The use of organic waste products as fertiliser and supplementary feed occurs to some extent, as does use of excess dairy calves in the beef industry, but they present both opportunities and challenges. More farm waste recycling opportunities are becoming available, with new products available from waste processing, such as plastic fence posts. Circular strategies in New Zealand agriculture require more analysis to determine economic, social, cultural and environmental outcomes.

Beyond waste-to-energy: Bioenergy can drive sustainable Australian agriculture by integrating circular economy with net zero ambitions

“…Developing a holistic approach towards a circular bioeconomy could address the range of barriers identified earlier by moving towards full valorisation of biological resources, from virgin feedstocks to organic wastes. Effective implementation of circular strategies will likely deliver positive economic, social, cultural, and environmental outcomes (Burggraaf et al, 2020;. Bioeconomy can be defined as "the production, utilisation, conservation, and regeneration of biological resources, including related knowledge, science, technology, and innovation, to provide sustainable solutions (information, products, processes and services) within and across all economic sectors and enable a transformation to a sustainable economy" (IACGB, 2020).…”

Evaluating Three-Pillar Sustainability Modelling Approaches for Dairy Cattle Production Systems

“…Furthermore, consideration of the milk quality and enhanced nutritional composition of the products (e.g., unsaturated fatty acids) would potentially increase the accuracy with which the models assess "product diversification" and "added-value products" [37,46,47]. Similarly, the use of by-products in the composition of animal feed, energy generation, or fertilizers significantly contributes to farm autonomy by enhancing the "feed self-sufficiency" and "economic self-sufficiency" levels while fostering the carbon and nutrient circularity of the farm [48][49][50]. Modelling the durability of a farm based on its capacity for "succession and transmissibility" is a major topic that has been addressed by a large number of papers [51][52][53].…”

The Emergence of Circular Economy in Integrated Agriculture-Livestock Livelihoods

“…India has a major share of livestock in the globe including cattle (37.28%), buffalo (21.23%), goats (26.40%), and sheep (12.17%) (Sonavale et al, 2020). Livestock can play an important part in biomass-based circular economies as they utilize crop residues and wastes from human food production and processing (Burggraaf et al, 2020). The growing demand for milk, processed milk products (Bhatt & Singh, 2019), meat, and allied products have been the major driver behind the growing livestock economy across India.…”