Grand challenge — Globally, our drive to increase agricultural production, to meet the demands of a growing population, has been at the expense of long-term sustainability and we are now faced with operating farming systems on degraded lands with depleted soil fertility and widespread pollution issues.  Under a circular economy the production of agricultural commodities uses a minimal amount of external inputs and nutrient loops are closed to reduce discharges to the environment. By creating an economy in which waste and pollution do not exist, natural systems can recover. The potential benefits for food security under a circular economy approach are enormous. However, this can result in the release of gaseous and aqueous emissions of N compounds, as well as inadvertently introducing a suite of emerging contaminants into agricultural systems, such as pharmaceuticals, and plastics.  

As part of the UN Food Systems Summit 2021, a dialogue will be convened to explore the concept of a circular economy, with a focus on Chinese agricultural systems. China have rapidly transformed their food production systems to meet a “Zero Increase Action Plan” for fertilizers, and therefore provides an excellent case study to explore the concept of a circular economy in agriculture further. 

Dialogue aim – This dialogue will bring together key stakeholders with the aim to: Share knowledge on the feasibility and risks of using organic fertiliser in agricultural production through adoption of a Circular Economy approach.