Advances in Circular Agriculture for Improved Waste and By-Product Management Under Climate Change

Climate change is intensifying risks to food systems through rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, more frequent and severe extreme events, greater climate variability, mounting resource constraints, and accelerating ecosystem degradation. Agroecology has emerged as an important pathway for both adaptation and mitigation because it strengthens key ecosystem functions, improves soil health and fertility, supports ecological regulation, reduces dependence on external inputs, and enhances the resilience of agricultural systems.In this context, circular agriculture can be understood as the design and management of agricultural systems to close nutrient, biomass, water, and energy loops; minimize waste and pollution; and reduce reliance on external inputs. Viewed through an agroecological lens, circular agriculture emphasizes the cycling and productive reuse of nutrients, biomass, and other resources in ways that regenerate soils, improve system efficiency, and support more sustainable pest and disease management. Despite growing policy attention, implementation remains limited in many regions because of technology and infrastructure gaps, weak extension support, and misaligned incentives. These constraints often prevent circular practices from delivering consistent improvements in soil fertility, resource-use efficiency, pollution reduction, and robust integrated pest management (IPM) outcomes.This Research Topic aims to consolidate global advances in circular strategies relevant to agroecological transitions, particularly those that: (1) rebuild and maintain soil fertility through biological processes and nutrient cycling; (2) reduce waste, pollution, and losses through more efficient use and reuse of biomass, water, and nutrients; and (3) strengthen prevention-based crop health management, including IPM grounded in ecological regulation. It will also examine the policies, governance arrangements, and practical innovations—both technological and social—that support adoption, and highlight case studies demonstrating measurable outcomes for climate resilience, productivity, and environmental performance.We welcome review articles, conceptual and theoretical contributions, policy analyses, and empirical case studies addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:- Agroecology and circularity: linking circular resource flows with agroecological principles.- Nutrient cycling and soil fertility: biological and regenerative approaches to maintaining productive soils.- Waste and by-product pathways: safe and effective reuse of residues, biomass, and organic amendments.- Pollution reduction and resource efficiency: strategies that reduce nutrient losses, contamination, and inefficiencies while sustaining yields.- Water and energy circularity: approaches to improving water reuse, energy efficiency, and system sustainability.- Integrated Pest Management (IPM): prevention-based pest, disease, and weed management with lower dependence on synthetic pesticides.- Climate co-benefits: effects on emissions, carbon storage, water retention, and yield stability.- Input transitions and trade-offs: shifting from linear and input-intensive systems while managing technical, economic, and social challenges.- Technologies and social innovations: tools, services, and collaborative approaches that enable adoption.- Performance assessment: evaluating environmental, economic, and social outcomes of circular agroecological practices.- Policy and governance: incentives, institutions, and regulatory frameworks that support adoption at scale. Topic editors: Son Truong Cao, Nui Hai Nguyen, Xuan Hoa Nguyen Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/78705/advances-in-circular-agriculture-for-improved-waste-and-by-product-management-under-climate-change