Economic impact of waste from food, water, and agriculture in Nigeria: challenges, implications, and applications—a review

Abstract

The surge in Nigeria's population has led to heightened demands for food, clean water, and agricultural products, resulting in a significant increase in waste generation. Nigeria ranks among the top countries globally in terms of waste production, particularly from food, water, and agriculture. Unfortunately, the management of these vast quantities of waste is often inadequate, leading to environmental pollution, disease, and heightened CO2 emissions. While reducing such waste is important, completely stopping waste generation from food, water, and agriculture is impossible. Therefore, it becomes imperative to adopt eco-friendly and cost-effective approaches to handling this waste, including collection, conversion, treatment, recycling, and reuse. Effectively managing waste can mitigate pollution and its adverse impacts on public health. This review delves into the environmental, economic, and health challenges associated with the generation of waste from food, water, and agriculture in Nigeria. It highlights the importance of implementing sustainable practices for waste treatment, conversion, reuse, and application. By harnessing these waste materials effectively, Nigeria stands to reap significant economic benefits while simultaneously safeguarding the environment from pollution.