Abstract
Due to urban population growth during recent decades, the food supply chain has become one of the key material flows in the metabolism of cities. Urban agriculture (UA) can be an alternative for mitigating food supply impacts. UA can provide environmental benefits, but current concepts and strategies do not reflect its full potential. The circular economy (CE) can contribute to this goal. The promotion of CE principles in UA can help mitigate the environmental impact generated by these systems and move toward circular agriculture, which extends the life of critical resources consumed in urban areas. However, it is important to identify whether the application of CE strategies in UA systems entails burden-shifting processes. The aim of this chapter is to outline and analyze the environmental implications of applying CE strategies in UA, such as the use of struvite, compost, rainwater harvesting, or water and nutrient recirculation. We conclude that the application of CE strategies in UA systems should always include a parallel environmental assessment from a life cycle perspective to assess potential drawbacks and burden-shifting processes and to ensure that circular economy principles and sustainability goals are aligned.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Agung Putra P, Yuliando H (2015) Soilless culture system to support water use efficiency and product quality: a review. Agric Sci Proc 3:283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aaspro.2015.01.054
Amann A, Zoboli O, Krampe J et al (2018) Environmental impacts of phosphorus recovery from municipal wastewater. Resour Conserv Recycl 130:127–139. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.11.002
Angrill S, Farreny R, Gasol CM et al (2012) Environmental analysis of rainwater harvesting infrastructures in diffuse and compact urban models of Mediterranean climate. Int J Life Cycle Assess 17:25–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-011-0330-6
Artmann M, Sartison K, Artmann M, Sartison K (2018) The role of urban agriculture as a nature-based solution: a review for developing a systemic assessment framework. Sustain For 10:1937. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061937
Bakalis S, Valdramidis VP, Argyropoulos D et al (2020) Perspectives from CO+RE: how COVID-19 changed our food systems and food security paradigms. Curr Res Food Sci 3:166–172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crfs.2020.05.003
Barrett GE, Alexander PD, Robinson JS, Bragg NC (2016) Achieving environmentally sustainable growing media for soilless plant cultivation systems—a review. Sci Hortic (Amsterdam) 212:220–234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2016.09.030
Barthel S, Isendahl C (2013) Urban gardens, agriculture, and water management: sources of resilience for long-term food security in cities. Ecol Econ 86:224–234. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2012.06.018
Bonilla-Gámez N, Toboso-Chavero S, Parada F et al (2021) Environmental impact assessment of agro-services symbiosis in semiarid urban frontier territories. Case study of Mendoza (Argentina). Sci Total Environ 774:145682. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145682
Bouchaaba Z, Santamaria P, Choukr-Allah R et al (2015) Open-cycle drip vs closed-cycle subirrigation: effects on growth and yield of greenhouse soilless green bean. Sci Hortic (Amsterdam) 182:77–85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scienta.2014.11.007
Brandao M, Martin M, Cowie A et al (2017) Consequential life cycle assessment: what, how, and why? Encycl Sustain Technol 1:277–284. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.10068-5
Brock A (2008) Room to grow: participatory landscapes and urban agriculture at NYU. Agriculture 13
Cantzler J, Creutzig F, Ayargarnchanakul E et al (2020) Saving resources and the climate? A systematic review of the circular economy and its mitigation potential. Environ Res Lett 15. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abbeb7
Childers DL, Corman J, Edwards M, Elser JJ (2011) Sustainability challenges of phosphorus and food: solutions from closing the human phosphorus cycle. Bioscience 61:117–124. https://doi.org/10.1525/bio.2011.61.2.6
Christie E (2014) Water and nutrient reuse within closed hydroponic systems. In: Electronic theses & dissertations, master of science in applied engineering (MSAE)
Cordell D, Drangert J-O, White S (2009) The story of phosphorus: global food security and food for thought. Glob Environ Chang 19:292–305. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.GLOENVCHA.2008.10.009
Dannehl D, Suhl J, Ulrichs C, Schmidt U (2015) Evaluation of substitutes for rock wool as growing substrate for hydroponic tomato production. J Appl Bot Food Qual 88:68–77. https://doi.org/10.5073/JABFQ.2015.088.010
De Zeeuw H (2011) Cities, climate change and urban agriculture. Urban Agric Mag 25:39–42
Despommier D (2013) Farming up the city: the rise of urban vertical farms. Trends Biotechnol 31:388–389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2013.03.008
Elser J, Bennett E (2011) A broken biogeochemical cycle. Nature 4787367(478):29–31. https://doi.org/10.1038/478029a
EMF (2015) Circularity indicators: an approach to measuring circularity—methodology, p 1–64
Ercilla-Montserrat M, Muñoz P, Montero J-II et al (2018) A study on air quality and heavy metals content of urban food produced in a Mediterranean city (Barcelona). J Clean Prod 195:385–295. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.183
European Commission (2013) Tool #64. Life cycle analysis
European Commission (2020a) Communication from the commission to the european parliament, the council, the european economic and social committee and the committee of the regions critical raw materials resilience: charting a path towards greater security and sustainability, p 69–82
European Commission (2020b) Study on the Eu’s list of critical raw materials—critical raw materials factsheets
European Commission (2020c) Circular economy action plan. For a cleaner and more competitive Europe. https://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/pdf/new_circular_economy_action_plan.pdf
Eurostat (2001) Economy-wide material flow accounts and derived indicators
Eurostat (2011) Archive: agriculture—greenhouse gas emission statistics—statistics explained. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Archive:Agriculture_-_greenhouse_gas_emission_statistics&oldid=158401. Accessed 14 Jul 2020
Ferreira AJD, Guilherme RIMM, Ferreira CSS, Oliveira M de FML de (2018) Urban agriculture, a tool towards more resilient urban communities? Curr Opin Environ Sci Heal 5:93–97. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.COESH.2018.06.004
Foley JA, Ramankutty N, Brauman KA et al (2011) Solutions for a cultivated planet. Nature 478:337. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10452
Franzoso F, Causone D, Tabasso S et al (2015) Films made from polyethylene-co-acrylic acid and soluble biopolymers sourced from agricultural and municipal biowaste. J Appl Polym Sci 132:1–11. https://doi.org/10.1002/app.41909
Gabarrell X, Morales-Pinzón T, Rieradevall J et al (2014) Plugrisost: a model for design, economic cost and environmental analysis of rainwater harvesting in urban systems. Water Pract Technol 9:243–255. https://doi.org/10.2166/wpt.2014.028
García-Caparrós P, Llanderal A, El-Tarawy A et al (2016) Irrigation with drainage solutions improves the growth and nutrients uptake in Juncus acutus. Ecol Eng 95:237–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2016.06.090
Garcia-Caparros P, Contreras JI, Baeza R et al (2017) Integral management of irrigation water in intensive horticultural systems of Almería. Sustain For 9:1–21. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9122271
Geyer R, Kuczenski B, Zink T, Henderson A (2016) Common misconceptions about recycling. J Ind Ecol 20:1010–1017. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12355
Goldstein B, Hauschild M, Fernández J, Birkved M (2016) Urban versus conventional agriculture, taxonomy of resource profiles: a review. Agron Sustain Dev 36:1–19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-015-0348-4
Grard BJP, Chenu C, Manouchehri N et al (2018) Rooftop farming on urban waste provides many ecosystem services. Agron Sustain Dev 38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-017-0474-2
Haupt M, Vadenbo C, Hellweg S (2017) Do we have the right performance indicators for the circular economy?: insight into the Swiss waste management system. J Ind Ecol 21:615–627. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12506
Hauschild MZ, Rosenbaum RK, Olsen SI (2017) Life cycle assessment: theory and pratice
Helander H, Petit-Boix A, Leipold S, Bringezu S (2019) How to monitor environmental pressures of a circular economy: an assessment of indicators. J Ind Ecol 23:1278. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12924
Hellweg S, Canals LMI (2014) Emerging approaches, challenges and opportunities in life cycle assessment. Science 344:1109–1113. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1248361
Humbert S, Rossi V, Margni M et al (2009) Life cycle assessment of two baby food packaging alternatives: glass jars vs. plastic pots. Int J Life Cycle Assess 14:95–106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-008-0052-6
Incrocci L, Pardossi A, Malorgio F et al (2003) Cascade cropping system for greenhouse soilless culture. Acta Hortic 609:297–301
IPCC (2014) AR5 climate change 2014: mitigation of climate change—IPCC
ISO (2006) ISO 14040: environmental management—life cycle assessment—principles and framework. Int. Organ. Stand
ISO (2018) ISO—ISO/TC 323—circular economy. In: Tech. Committees. https://www.iso.org/committee/7203984.html. Accessed 30 Jul 2021
Jones A (2002) An environmental assessment of food supply chains: a case study on dessert apples. Environ Manag 30:560–576. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-002-2383-6
Kalantari F, Tahir OM, Joni RA, Fatemi E (2018) Opportunities and challenges in sustainability of vertical farming: a review. J Landsc Ecol Republic 11:35–60. https://doi.org/10.1515/jlecol-2017-0016
Kirchherr J, Reike D, Hekkert M (2017) Conceptualizing the circular economy: an analysis of 114 definitions. Resour Conserv Recycl 127:221–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.09.005
Kortright R, Wakefield S (2011) Edible backyards: a qualitative study of household food growing and its contributions to food security. Agric Human Values 28:39–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-009-9254-1
Kristensen HS, Mosgaard MA (2020) A review of micro level indicators for a circular economy—moving away from the three dimensions of sustainability? J Clean Prod 243:118531. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118531
Laner D, Rechberger H (2007) Treatment of cooling appliances: interrelations between environmental protection, resource conservation, and recovery rates. Resour Conserv Recycl 52:136–155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2007.03.004
Lenzen M, Peters GM (2010) How city dwellers affect their resource hinterland. J Ind Ecol 14:73–90. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1530-9290.2009.00190.x
Lin BB, Philpott SM, Jha S (2015) The future of urban agriculture and biodiversity-ecosystem services: challenges and next steps. Basic Appl Ecol 16:189–201. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.baae.2015.01.005
Linderholm K, Tillman AM, Mattsson JE (2012) Life cycle assessment of phosphorus alternatives for Swedish agriculture. Resour Conserv Recycl 66:27–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2012.04.006
Llorach-Massana P (2017) Mitigating the environmental impacts of Urban Agriculture: innovative materials, GHG emissions analysis and new by-products
Lovell ST (2010) Multifunctional urban agriculture for sustainable land use planning in the United States. Sustain For 2:2499–2522. https://doi.org/10.3390/su2082499
Manríquez-Altamirano A, Sierra-Pérez J, Muñoz P, Gabarrell X (2020) Analysis of urban agriculture solid waste in the frame of circular economy: case study of tomato crop in integrated rooftop greenhouse. Sci Total Environ 734:139375. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139375
Manríquez-Altamirano A, Sierra-Pérez J, Muñoz P, Gabarrell X (2021) Identifying potential applications for residual biomass from urban agriculture through eco-ideation: tomato stems from rooftop greenhouses. J Clean Prod 295:126360. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.126360
Martínez-Blanco J, Muñoz P, Antón A, Rieradevall J (2009) Life cycle assessment of the use of compost from municipal organic waste for fertilization of tomato crops. Resour Conserv Recycl 53:340–351. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.RESCONREC.2009.02.003
Martínez-Blanco J, Muñoz P, Antón A, Rieradevall J (2011) Assessment of tomato Mediterranean production in open-field and standard multi-tunnel greenhouse, with compost or mineral fertilizers, from an agricultural and environmental standpoint. J Clean Prod 19:985–997. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2010.11.018
Mok H-F, Williamson VG, Grove JR et al (2014) Strawberry fields forever? Urban agriculture in developed countries: a review. Agron Sustain Dev 34:21–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-013-0156-7
Moraga G, Huysveld S, Mathieux F et al (2019) Circular economy indicators: what do they measure? Resour Conserv Recycl 146:452–461. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.RESCONREC.2019.03.045
Müller A, Sukhdev P (2019) Measuring what matters in agriculture and food systems
Mun JS, Han MY (2012) Design and operational parameters of a rooftop rainwater harvesting system: definition, sensitivity and verification. J Environ Manag 93:147–153. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JENVMAN.2011.08.024
Niero M, Kalbar PP (2019) Coupling material circularity indicators and life cycle based indicators: a proposal to advance the assessment of circular economy strategies at the product level. Resour Conserv Recycl 140:305–312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2018.10.002
Olle M, Ngouajio M, Siomos A (2012) Vegetable quality and productivity as influenced by growing medium: a review. Zemdirbyste 99:399–408
Orsini F, Kahane R, Nono-Womdim R, Gianquinto G (2013) Urban agriculture in the developing world: a review. Agron Sustain Dev 33:695. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-013-0143-z
Orsini F, Pennisi G, Michelon N et al (2020) Features and functions of multifunctional urban agriculture in the global north: a review. Front Sustain Food Syst 4:1–27. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2020.562513
Parada F, Ercilla-Montserrat M, Arcas-Pilz V et al (2021a) Comparison of organic substrates in urban rooftop agriculture, towards improving crop production resilience to temporary drought in Mediterranean cities. J Sci Food Agric 101:5888. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.11241
Parada F, Gabarrell X, Rufí-Salís M et al (2021b) Optimizing irrigation in urban agriculture for tomato crops in rooftop greenhouses. Sci Total Environ 794:148689. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148689
Peña C, Civit B, Gallego-schmid A, Druckman A (2020) Using life cycle assessment to achieve a circular economy. Int J Life Cycle Assess 26:215–220
People’s Republic of China (2008) Circular economy promotion law of the People’s Republic of China
Piekema P, Giesen A (2001) Phosphate recovery by the crystallisation process: experience and developments. Environ Technol 21:1067
Rittmann BE, Mayer B, Westerhoff P, Edwards M (2011) Capturing the lost phosphorus. Chemosphere 84:846–853. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CHEMOSPHERE.2011.02.001
Royal Haskoning DHV (2019) Crystalactor water technology. https://www.royalhaskoningdhv.com/crystalactor. Accessed 5 Mar 2019
Rufí-Salís M (2020) A circular economy approach to urban agriculture: an environmental assessment. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Rufí-Salís M, Brunnhofer N, Petit-Boix A et al (2020a) Can wastewater feed cities? Determining the feasibility and environmental burdens of struvite recovery and reuse for urban regions. Sci Total Environ 737:139783. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SCITOTENV.2020.139783
Rufí-Salís M, Calvo MJMJMJ, Petit-Boix A et al (2020b) Exploring nutrient recovery from hydroponics in urban agriculture: an environmental assessment. Resour Conserv Recycl 155:104683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104683
Rufí-Salís M, Parada F, Arcas-Pilz V et al (2020c) Closed-loop crop Cascade to optimize nutrient flows and grow low-impact vegetables in cities. Front Plant Sci 11:1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.596550
Rufí-Salís M, Petit-Boix A, Villalba G et al (2020d) Recirculating water and nutrients in urban agriculture: an opportunity towards environmental sustainability and water use efficiency? J Clean Prod 261:121213. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2020.121213
Rufí-Salís M, Petit-Boix A, Villalba G et al (2021) Combining LCA and circularity assessments in complex production systems: the case of urban agriculture. Resour Conserv Recycl 166:105359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.105359
Saidani M, Cluzel F, Leroy Y, Yannou B (2019a) Testing the robustness of circularity indicators: empirical insights from workshops on an industrial product. Proc Int Conf Eng Des ICED 2019-Augus, p 3401–3410. https://doi.org/10.1017/dsi.2019.347
Saidani M, Yannou B, Leroy Y et al (2019b) A taxonomy of circular economy indicators. J Clean Prod 207:542–559. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JCLEPRO.2018.10.014
Sanjuan-Delmás D, Llorach-Massana P, Nadal A et al (2018) Environmental assessment of an integrated rooftop greenhouse for food production in cities. J Clean Prod 177:326–337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.12.147
Sanjuan-Delmás D, Josa A, Muñoz P et al (2020) Applying nutrient dynamics to adjust the nutrient-water balance in hydroponic crops. A case study with open hydroponic tomato crops from Barcelona. Sci Hortic (Amsterdam) 261:108908. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SCIENTA.2019.108908
Sanyé-Mengual E, Specht K, Grapsa E et al (2019) How can innovation in urban agriculture contribute to sustainability? A characterization and evaluation study from five Western European cities. Sustain For 11. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11154221
Sayara T, Amarneh B, Saleh T et al (2016) Hydroponic and aquaponic systems for sustainable agriculture and environment. Int J Plant Sci Ecol 2:23–29
Schade C, Pimentel D (2010) Population crash: prospects for famine in the twenty-first century. Environ Dev Sustain 12:245–262. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-009-9192-5
Schettini E, Santagata G, Malinconico M et al (2013) Recycled wastes of tomato and hemp fibres for biodegradable pots: physico-chemical characterization and field performance. Resour Conserv Recycl 70:9–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2012.11.002
Schmidt JH (2008) System delimitation in agricultural consequential LCA: outline of methodology and illustrative case study of wheat in Denmark. Int J Life Cycle Assess 13:350–364. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-008-0016-x
SEDAC (2016) Gridded population of the world (GPW), v4. http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/collection/gpw-v4. Accessed 27 Nov 2017
Seitzinger SP, Svedin U, Crumley CL et al (2012) Planetary stewardship in an urbanizing world: beyond City limits. Ambio 41:787–794. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-012-0353-7
Shu L, Schneider P, Jegatheesan V, Johnson J (2006) An economic evaluation of phosphorus recovery as struvite from digester supernatant. Bioresour Technol 97:2211–2216. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.BIORTECH.2005.11.005
Smit J, Nasr J, Ratta A (2001) Urban agriculture food, jobs and sustainable cities 2001 edition cities that feed themselves
Specht K, Siebert R, Hartmann I et al (2014) Urban agriculture of the future: an overview of sustainability aspects of food production in and on buildings. Agric Human Values 31:33–51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-013-9448-4
Spiertz H (2010) Food production, crops and sustainability: restoring confidence in science and technology. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 2:439–443
Steen I (1998) Phosphorus availability in the 21st century: management of a non-renewable resource. In: Phosphorus and potassium, p 25–31
Talboys PJ, Heppell J, Roose T et al (2016) Struvite: a slow-release fertiliser for sustainable phosphorus management? Plant Soil 401:109–123. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2747-3
Taylor RW, Carandang JS, Alexander C, Calleja JS (2012) Making global cities sustainable: urban rooftop hydroponics for diversified agriculture in emerging economies. OIDA Int J Sustain Dev 05:17–28
Tchobanoglous G, Burton FL, Stensel HD (2003) Wastewater engineering: treatment and reuse. Metcalf & Eddy, Inc
The White House (2012) National bioeconomy blueprint
Thomaier S, Specht K, Henckel D et al (2015) Farming in and on urban buildings: present practice and specific novelties of zero-acreage farming (ZFarming). Renew Agric Food Syst 30:43–54. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742170514000143
Toboso-Chavero S, Nadal A, Petit-Boix A et al (2018) Towards productive cities: environmental assessment of the food-energy-water nexus of the urban roof mosaic. J Ind Ecol 23:767. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12829
Üner B, Kömbeci K, Akgül M (2016) THE utilization of tomato stalk in fiber production: naoh and cao pulping process. Wood Res 61:927–936
United Nations (2014) 2014 revision of the world urbanization prospects
USGS (2013) Perlite: world production, by country. In: United States Geol. Surv. Miner. Resour. Progr. https://www.indexmundi.com/en/commodities/minerals/perlite/perlite_t4.html. Accessed 14 Jun 2021
van Dijk KC, Lesschen JP, Oenema O (2016) Phosphorus flows and balances of the European Union member states. Sci Total Environ 542:1078–1093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.08.048
Vittuari M, Bazzocchi G, Blasioli S et al (2021) Envisioning the future of European food systems: approaches and research priorities after COVID-19. Front Sustain Food Syst 5:642787. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2021.642787
Vlachos D, Aivazidou E (2018) Water footprint in supply chain management: an introduction. Sustain For 10:9–11. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10062045
Weidema B (1993) Market aspects in product life cycle inventory methodology. J Clean Prod 1:161–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/0959-6526(93)90007-X
Zamagni A, Guinée J, Heijungs R et al (2012) Lights and shadows in consequential LCA. Int J Life Cycle Assess 17:904–918. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11367-012-0423-x
Zeller V, Towa E, Degrez M, Achten WMJ (2019) Urban waste flows and their potential for a circular economy model at city-region level. Waste Manag 83:83–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2018.10.034
Zezza A, Tasciotti L (2010) Urban agriculture, poverty, and food security: empirical evidence from a sample of developing countries. Food Policy 35:265–273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2010.04.007
Zink T, Geyer R (2017) Circular economy rebound. J Ind Ecol 21:593–602. https://doi.org/10.1111/jiec.12545
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rufí-Salís, M. et al. (2024). Circular Economy Principles in Urban Agri-Food Systems: Potentials and Implications for Environmental Sustainability. In: Ometto, A.R., Sarkis, J., Evans, S. (eds) A Systemic Transition to Circular Economy. Greening of Industry Networks Studies, vol 12. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-55036-2_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-55036-2_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-55035-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-55036-2
eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)