Prioritizing the 4Rs of reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover offers the most effective waste management approach. Several ideas to utilize agricultural wastes include biogas production, biochar production, composting, supplementary feed for animal and eco-friendly material construction. Biogas which is a renewable fuel and is produced by anaerobic fermentation of organic matter. It is primarily composed of methane, the key component of natural gas, along with carbon dioxide and trace amounts of other gases. Biochar is the process in which crop residues can be reborn through pyrolysis or other processes. This valuable soil amendment enhances fertility, water retention, and nutrient holding capacity. Composting with crop residues has a long history. Traditionally, farmers pile leftover crops in dung pits, where they decompose and become a valuable resource. The by-products produced from agricultural waste can be used as supplement to animal feed. Agricultural waste can also be used in making eco-friendly building materials such as bricks, panels, etc.
TopIntroduction
The best management practices incorporate principle of business, goals, production, environmental quality, and sustainability available in farm resources management systems. Agriculture has been a prime resource since more than 10,000 years ago for providing humans with facilities such as foods, fuels and fibers. Agricultural resources have contributed a lot for the development of processes significant for life on earth and for human evolution. (FAO, 2017; Rivera-Ferre et al., 2013) Land and water, the lifeblood of agriculture, have fueled its remarkable growth over the last five decades. (The International Code of Conduct for the Sustainable Use and Management of Fertilizers, 2019)This expansion has solidified agriculture’s position as the world’s leading economic engine and job creator, playing a prominent role in many countries economics. (“Food and Agriculture: Driving Action across the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,” n.d.) This ‘green revolution’ in the world of agriculture have transformed world to a new level.
Agricultural wastes could be either the by-product of production and processing of agriculture products which includes vegetable, meat, fruits, poultry, dairy, or crops having some amount of useful components which can be further re-utilized for better consumption. These by-products may be in the form of solids, liquids, or slurries. Agricultural waste also known as Agro-waste may include wastes from food processing industries, waste from animal, hazardous and toxic agricultural waste, and crop residues. (Obi et al., 2016) Sustainable agriculture demands careful attention to waste management. Effective strategies are crucial for minimizing environmental impact and creating an eco-friendly-future. Agricultural waste management encompasses the practices and strategies to handle and disposal of waste produced from agricultural activities, aiming to reduce the environmental impact and promoting eco-friendly practices.
Figure 1.
Some of the techniques for waste management
Agricultural waste disposal is a major environmental hurdle threatening the future of sustainable farming. Therefore, innovative waste management techniques that prioritize reduction, reuse, and recycling are emerging as a powerful waste management solution.
Reduce- The main idea behind this technique is to rationale the amount of trash produced by agricultural activities. By adapting methods and procedures that reduces waste generation, we can take a step towards sustainable agriculture development. Example of such practices includes, Precision farming, which efficiently optimize the utilization of pesticides, water, fertilizers.
Reuse- This idea emphasizes on the utilization of resources to their maximum efficiency. The key to sustainable agriculture waste management lies in resource reutilization. By repurposing what might otherwise be discarded, is one of the way to significantly improve the efficiency and minimize waste. Incorporation of crop residue re-utilized as organic matter to enrich the soil structure and fertility could be the best example for this.
Recycle- The main strategy for this is to transform waste into valuable assets. Composting, which is a corner store of resource reuse, transforms complex organic agricultural waste such as crop residues and food scraps into nutrient-rich compost. This idea boosts soil fertility, improves water retention, and can even decrease reliance on synthetic fertilizers.