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Perspective: Farm Level Circularities as Solution Pathways to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)  Open Access

Published by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, St. Joseph, Michigan www.asabe.org

Citation:  Journal of Natural Resources and Agricultural Ecosystems. 3(2): 81-87. (doi: 10.13031/jnrae.16192) @2025
Authors:   Lois W. Morton, Ernie Shea
Keywords:   Agriculture, Biodiversity, Bioeconomy, Circular systems, Ecosystem Services, Farmers, Food security, Networked bioeconomies, Regenerated value, Retained value.

Highlights

  • Circular systems, diversification, and integration of biodiversity-friendly practices are key to adding on-farm and regenerating ecosystem value.
  • There are many nodes within farm systems that can move or accelerate the system from linear toward greater circularity.
  • Proven technologies, scientific breakthroughs, and networks are critical to scaling up profitable, sustainable circular farm bioeconomies.

Abstract. Circular agricultural bioeconomy frameworks propose that farm level circularities can diversify revenue streams, reduce costs, recycle and manage waste, expand on-farm resources, and regenerate ecosystem services to make the farm profitable, sustainable, and resilient; and can be scaled up to provide solution pathways to achieve global United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, many farmers do not know “where” to start, and policy makers often do not know “where or what” to incentivize or regulate to increase the effectiveness of circular agricultural biosystems. In this paper, the nodes in the farm system “where” circularity might emerge and “what” activities can initiate and accelerate circularity are identified and illustrated by United States (US) and global farmers‘ current circular bioeconomy activities. Nodes where circularity can be implemented are located (1) within the farm system as farm-produced inputs are substituted for off-farm purchases and new products are generated, (2) at the interface of the farm system and ecosystem services from the natural resource base, (3) at the interface of off-farm inputs and external resources, and (4) at the interface of the farm system and off-farm outputs and products. Farmer examples at many scales demonstrate the power of circularity, the roles of diversified cropping systems and mixed crop-livestock combinations, on-farm utilization of ecosystem services that return value back to their natural resource base, the critical importance of knowledge, proven technologies and scientific resources, and social and economic networks that enable them to be profitable and sustainable systems.

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