Sustainable Food Production and Valorization of Food and Agricultural Waste: Recent Advances and Future Prospects
Ganesan Subbiah, Anshuman Jena, Aravindan Munusamy Kalidhas, Vijay Kele, Vikrant Aadiwal, Kanchan Awasthi, Kamakshi Priya K
Abstract
Global food systems face mounting stress from projected population growth (over 9.7 billion by 2050), climate change, soil degradation, and resource scarcity. Annually, 1.3 billion tons of food and agricultural waste (FAW) contribute to 8–10% of global GHG emissions. A sustainable transition requires reducing the environmental impact while transforming waste into valuable bioproducts. Advances in precision agriculture─using AI, drones, and variable rate technology─cut fertilizer and water use by up to 30% and boost yields by 10–20%. Controlled-environment agriculture achieves 95% water use efficiency and high yield density. Technologies such as anaerobic digestion, pyrolysis, and enzymatic hydrolysis convert FAW into biogas, biochar, and biofuels, while bioplastics from food residues yield PHAs with strong mechanical properties. Digital tools─IoT, blockchain, and machine learning─enable waste tracking and circular economy models. This perspective explores these innovations to outline an integrated path toward resilient, low-waste, and climate-smart food production systems.