Integration of circular economy and zero-waste practices with hydroponics: Towards sustainable food production

Abstract

This review study provides an overview of the circular economy, its framework in agriculture, as well as hydroponics, and various practices related to the zero-waste system. The circular economy offers a broad spectrum for sustainable farming by focusing on its key points: reduce, reuse, recycle, recover/regenerate, and redesign. Zero-waste practices are strategies that ensure nothing is wasted. The circular economy and zero waste practices are an integrated topic that aims for the same, i.e, no waste production and sustainability, unlike linear traditional farming, which revolves around a single input of resources and produces an abundant amount of waste. This concept helps in holding the closed loop of nutrients and resources while reducing the waste production and controlling the health of our environment. Circular agriculture is a predominant approach grounded in principles of the circular economy and its affiliated factors. Moreover, this review provides a systematic examination of the circular economy, its application in agriculture and hydroponics, and how it helps mitigate multiple associated risks in agriculture. It also reshapes the global food production system, addresses challenges associated with its implementation, and outlines strategies to bridge the gap in the agricultural sector. Well, this chapter also includes various zero-waste practices, their benefits, and a detailed discussion on the scalability with the help of hydroponics of the same to achieve sustainability.