Agroecology Knowledge Hub

Recycling: more recycling means agricultural production with lower economic and environmental costs

Waste is a human concept – it does not exist in natural ecosystems. By imitating natural ecosystems, agroecological practices support biological processes that drive the recycling of nutrients, biomass and water within production systems, thereby increasing resource-use efficiency and minimizing waste and pollution.

Recycling can take place at both farm-scale and within landscapes, through diversification and building of synergies between different components and activities. For example, agroforestry systems that include deep rooting trees can capture nutrients lost beyond the roots of annual crops. Crop–livestock systems promote recycling of organic materials by using manure for composting or directly as fertilizer, and crop residues and by-products as livestock feed. Nutrient cycling accounts for 51 percent of the economic value of all non-provisioning ecosystem services, and integrating livestock plays a large role in this. Similarly, in rice–fish systems, aquatic animals help to fertilize the rice crop and reduce pests, reducing the need for external fertilizer or pesticide inputs.

Recycling delivers multiple benefits by closing cycles and reducing waste that translates into lower dependency on external resources, increasing the autonomy of producers and reducing their vulnerability to market and climate shocks. Recycling organic materials and by-products offers great potential for agroecological innovations.

Database

Agroecological case studies all over the globe show agroecology in practice.
Case study
2016
It is generally accepted that agriculture is a major driver of climate change as well as being acutely challenged to adapt to its effects. Agroecological approaches involve the application of integrated ecological, economic and social principles to the transition of smallholder farming systems, towards greater resilience. This involves adapting 13...
Working paper
2019
Agroecology is not a new invention. It has already been applied for decades in family farmers’ practices and has guided both policymakers and grassroots social movements in various countries around the world. However, recent global discussions on agroecology across its three different dimensions, namely scientific discipline, agricultural practice and political-​social...
Event
2021
This recommendation paper presents general recommendations for food systems transformation to achieve net-zero emissions from food production by 2030 and net negative emissions from food systems by 2050. According to the document the following actions are needed to transform food systems: 1. A global shift to nature-positive production: Nature-positive food production systems protect...
Policy brief/paper
2021
This course addressed issues and articulations around local agroecological based food systems, including food resistances, which together with agroecological experiences constitute the responses against agro-industrial crops (genetically modified, monocultures, biofuels, greenhouses, etc.) and food models (large surfaces, junk food, school catering, etc.) that generate enormous inequalities and seriously affect the...
Learning
2020