Zero waste agriculture
Encyclopedia
Zero waste agriculture is a type of sustainable agriculture
which optimizes use of the five natural kingdoms, i.e. plant
s, animal
s, bacteria
, fungi and algae
, to produce biodiverse-food, energy and nutrient
s in a synergistic integrated cycle of profit making processes where the waste of each process becomes the feedstock for another process.
from ZERI. Zero waste agriculture is now practiced in China (ecological farming), Columbia (integrated food & waste management systems) & Fiji (integrated farming systems), India (integrated biogas farming), South Africa (BEAT Coop & African Agroecological Biotechnology Initiative) and Mauritius. The Brazilian government has adopted integrated farming system as a major social technology for the uplifting of marginalized and subsistence farmers through coordination with TECPAR.
Zero waste agriculture combines mature ecological farming practices that delivers an integrated balance of job creation, poverty relief, food security, energy security, water conservation, climate change relief, land security & stewardship.
Zero waste agriculture presents a balance of economically, socially and ecologically benefits as it:
microalgae grown on biogas digester effluent in a 500m2 shallow pond. The nutritive high protein waste from the oil extraction process can be used as an animal feed.
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment...
which optimizes use of the five natural kingdoms, i.e. plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s, animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
s, bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria are a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria have a wide range of shapes, ranging from spheres to rods and spirals...
, fungi and algae
Algae
Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...
, to produce biodiverse-food, energy and nutrient
Nutrient
A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment. They are used to build and repair tissues, regulate body processes and are converted to and used as energy...
s in a synergistic integrated cycle of profit making processes where the waste of each process becomes the feedstock for another process.
Digester
The biogas digester is the heart of most zero waste agriculture (ZWA) systems. It is a 3000 year old anaerobic digestion process.History
The integration of shallow microaglal oxidisation ponds was demonstrated by Golueke & Oswald in the 1960's. The widespread global implementation of these systems can be largely credited to Prof George ChanGeorge Chan
George Chan can refer to:* George B. Chan, an American art director* George Chan Hong Nam, the Deputy Chief Minister of Sarawak...
from ZERI. Zero waste agriculture is now practiced in China (ecological farming), Columbia (integrated food & waste management systems) & Fiji (integrated farming systems), India (integrated biogas farming), South Africa (BEAT Coop & African Agroecological Biotechnology Initiative) and Mauritius. The Brazilian government has adopted integrated farming system as a major social technology for the uplifting of marginalized and subsistence farmers through coordination with TECPAR.
Zero waste agriculture combines mature ecological farming practices that delivers an integrated balance of job creation, poverty relief, food security, energy security, water conservation, climate change relief, land security & stewardship.
Practice
Zero waste agriculture is optimally practiced on small 1-5 ha sized family owned and managed farms and it complements traditional farming & animal husbandry as practiced in in most third world communities. Zero Waste Agriculture also preserves local indigenous systems and existing agrarian cultural values and practices.Zero waste agriculture presents a balance of economically, socially and ecologically benefits as it:
- optimizes food production in an ecological sound manner
- reduces water consumption through and recycling and reduced evaporation
- provides energy security through the harvesting of biomethane (biogas) and the extraction of biodiesel from micro-algae all of which from as a by-products of food production
- provides climate change relief through the substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from both traditional agriculture practices and fossil fuel usage
- reduces the use of pesticides through biodiverse farming
Oil and biodiesel from algae
In sunny climates, a one hectare zero waste farm can produce over 1000 litres of oil in a year from the chlorellaChlorella
Chlorella is a genus of single-celled green algae, belonging to the phylum Chlorophyta. It is spherical in shape, about 2 to 10 μm in diameter, and is without flagella. Chlorella contains the green photosynthetic pigments chlorophyll-a and -b in its chloroplast...
microalgae grown on biogas digester effluent in a 500m2 shallow pond. The nutritive high protein waste from the oil extraction process can be used as an animal feed.