Towards circular food systems: from principles to improved co-product management practices in European farming systems

A more circular agro-food system would likely reduce resource inputs and decrease emissions to the environment. In this context, a proper prioritization of how co-products can best be recycled in the agricultural system, i.e. with the highest utility is critical, but remains undefined. There may be various options to recycle products and materials, which all could be referred to as circular, but the comparative effect of alternative options will be context-specific. In this PhD thesis, it will be assessed how to prioritise alternative co-product management options in a circular agriculture system. To this end, a generic indicator-based method will be developed to examine effects on environmental and productivity performance of alternative co-product management options. The developed method will be tested to evaluate several scenarios for alternative co-product management in the region of Drenthe, the Netherlands. Increased crop-livestock integration is a well-known example which better utilises agricultural co-products. In this PhD thesis, scenarios are evaluated which potentially increase integration between crop- and livestock systems. Moreover, differences between implementation of alternative co-product management in three other European case studies will be analysed, in order to identify the main contextual factors driving regional differences in optimal utilization of co-products. The development of a generic methodology for multiple European case study areas is part of the ERA-NET project called MI BICYCLE. Following, the main drivers and barriers for implementation of circular co-product management options will be studied by performing a survey amongst stakeholders. This will enable the results to be relevant both for implementation into circular agriculture models for agricultural policy makers who aim for circularity as a means to enhance sustainable development in the region. Finally, by studying co-product management scenarios which are tailored to the practical situation in the region, results from this PhD thesis can inform policy makers and improve farmers decisions, too.