Circular economy in agriculture. An analysis of the state of research based on the life cycle

Abstract

The circular economy (CE) has emerged as a strategy able to fulfil the double purpose of improving the economic performance of the agricultural activity while minimising the impact generated on the environment by reducing the inflow of resources and waste generation. This has led to an increasingly greater adoption of circular models in agricultural practices. The objective of this study is to analyse the state of research on the application of the circular economy in agriculture throughout each of the stages of its life cycle through a systematic literature review. The results show that this line of research is very new but has been attracting a growing amount of interest in recent years. The most resource-intensive phases are field preparation, fertilizer application, mulching and irrigation, while field preparation, mulching, pruning and training are the most intensive phases of waste generation. The majority of the contributions are made from an environmental perspective, so there is a major opportunity to develop the research addressing the economic and social aspects. There is a need to gain further knowledge about the economic-financial feasibility of the different circular practices considered and the perceptions of the stakeholders.