Dossier
Circular agrofood system
By 2050, the global population will have grown to around 9.5 billion people. Unless we change our patterns of production and consumption, we risk exhausting the planet’s resources. Circular agriculture enables us to produce enough food for everyone within the boundaries set by our planet.
An efficient system for food production
The existing linear agricultural system in the Netherlands is based on individual supply chains dedicated to producing as much food as possible at minimal environmental cost. The Dutch system is praised all over the world for its outstanding efficiency. But new studies have shown that biomass within this linear food system is not being used as optimally as it could. Grains that could be used to feed people are being fed to animals instead, for example.
Optimal use of all biomass
Circular agriculture is based on the principle of optimising the use of all biomass. The waste streams of one supply chain can be the raw materials for another. In this scenario, animals would be fed from our food waste. Achieving this kind of circular agriculture system will require smart integration between plant-based and animal-based supply chains.
Examples of circular agrofood systems
Crop production in a circular agrofood system is designed to ‘lock in’ minerals and organic material, so that they can be used to their fullest potential. For instance, crops will utilise nutrients from the soil more effectively than now. In the future, crops such as potatoes or rice may be able to bind atmospheric nitrogen for their food (leguminous plants are already capable of doing so). Precision agriculture offers a very targeted way of providing plants with the necessary nutrients.
A circular agrofood system uses residual flows from agriculture and the food industry to produce animal feed. These flows may be the parts of a plant that we now think of as having no use, such as straw and foliage. By using insects, worms or fungi, we can convert this matter into nutrient-rich raw materials for animal feed.
Cattle and sheep in a circular agrofood system would consume grass and herbs in pastures that are unsuitable for growing food, such as the peat grasslands in the Netherlands.
This allows the animals to convert residual flows and crops that are unsuitable for human consumption into high-quality, protein-rich food for people. This could be milk, eggs, or meat.
The animals’ manure is also a valuable source of organic material that replenishes the soil and completes the circular agrofood system.
A sustainable diet
Animals convert residual flows that we do not want or can not eat into protein-rich food. Preliminary calculations indicate that in a circular agrifood system the most sustainable diet contains about 20 grams of animal protein per day.
News
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Polder rice in the Netherlands: will it succeed this year?
- Will it succeed this year to grow ‘polder rice’ in the Netherlands for the first time? Researchers at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and Leiden University are giving it another shot. Whereas the yield last year was minimal, this year the researchers work with 32 different rice varieties adapted to the cooler climate of the Netherlands. -
Marine based biomass as a source of protein and health-promoting compounds
- In the development of circular and climate neutral food, feed and non-food applications, low trophic marine biomass will play an important role. Low trophic marine species are positioned low in the food chain, like mussels, do not require land or fresh water and obtain their nutrition directly from their environment. -
Shellfish as a source of protein and health-promoting compounds
- An international consortium is joining forces in a public-private partnership (PPP) to develop methods to utilise all components of shellfish, such as mussels while maintaining health-promoting compounds. These components are a source of protein and health-promoting components for foods, supplements and high-quality animal feed within aquaculture. -
Amazing peat
- Greenhouse gas emissions from peatlands account for 2-3% of total emissions in the Netherlands. That is a significant contribution, which is why policymakers have turned their attention to peat. Is rewetting the solution? In early 2024, Wageningen University & Research peat researchers with expertise in soil science, ecology, landscape management, nature management, cultural history and economics will come together to seek real and far-reaching solutions for the long term. -
National Growth Fund invests in transition of agricultural sector: WUR participates in Re-Ge-NL
- The National Growth Fund is investing 129 million euros in the Re-Ge-NL programme; a groundbreaking programme designed to transform the Dutch agricultural sector into a regenerative, sustainable and future-proof sector. The programme was founded by a partnership of 54 companies and organisations, including Wageningen University & Research. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy announced that the Re-Ge-NL consortium has met all the conditions for this investment and that the allocation of funding is therefore final. -
Climate goals 2030 can be met by recoupling livestock and feed production
- Recoupling livestock and feed production in the Netherlands will reduce ammonia emissions (nearly half) and greenhouse gas emissions (more than a quarter), nearly meeting the national climate goals for 2030. That is the main conclusion of research of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) published in the scientific journal Science of The Total Environment. In this study, the amount of feed that can be produced in a region determines the number of livestock. -
Start pilot cultivating rice on peatland
- Is polder rice a feasible circular alternative for cows on peatland? A pilot experiment started this week. On May 22nd, researchers from Wageningen University & Research (WUR) and Leiden University planted roughly 3,000 rice plants on the Polderlab near Leiden. The researchers want to test rice as a middle pathway for sustainable peatland management in the future: raising the water levels but still producing food. Furthermore, growing rice locally further reduces the imports of staple foods from abroad and fits well in a more circular agriculture. -
The role of waste streams and insects in the search for an alternative to soy
- Soy is an important protein source for the world, primarily for animal feed. The increasing demand and large scale cultivation of soy, however, is linked to profound issues such as deforestation and biodiversity loss. Soy trade flows further exacerbate global nitrogen imbalances. Hence the increasingly loud call for alternatives. Technically, there are plenty of options, but putting these alternatives into practice requires additional steps, including regulatory changes that support faster approvals. WUR researchers will discuss sustainable and affordable alternative ingredients for animal feed in an online session for policymakers on 24 January. The session will also discuss how introduction of these alternatives may be supported from a policy perspective. -
Nitrogen boundaries exceeded in many world regions
- It has long been known that humanity is exceeding planetary boundaries for nitrogen use. Scientists have now mapped those exceedances regionally for the first time. Whereas countries in north-western Europe and parts of India and China are emitting far too much nitrogen, there is actually room for intensification of nitrogen use across much of Africa and South America. The research was published today in the scientific journal Nature. -
How to make circular use of agricultural residues?
- By-products from the agrifood sector are increasingly being put to other uses. A new assessment framework, co-developed by Wageningen University & Research scientist Wolter Elbersen, helps to select the more circular application.
Longread
Video's
Some of our projects
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Feed4Foodure
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Exploring pathways to more circular food systems in the North China Plain
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CropMix - Designing mixed cropping systems and transition paths towards sustainable ecology based agriculture
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Roughage management in a circular dairy system: reducing nutrient losses
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SUSINCHAIN: improving insect rearing for food and feed
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FERTIMANURE: Production of high-added value FERTilisers from animal MANURE
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Epigenetica
Related dossiers
Related themes
- Circular & Biobased Economy
- Circular economy field crops
- Ecological intensification of agriculture
- Livestock and circular agrifood systems
- Sustainable Land Use
- Value creation from agrifood side streams within the circular economy
- External website: ACRRES, the national centre for applied research on renewable energy and green resources