Potentially polluting agricultural residues and strategies to reduce them from a sustainable development perspective. A critical look

The increasing volume of agricultural residues converted into polluting waste represents huge food losses in a world with severe famine and child malnutrition. This problem affects public health and becomes a factor accelerating climate change, due to the high emissions of greenhouse gases, constituting one of the significant challenges of humanity today. Based on an exhaustive literature review, this article examines the negative effects derived from the application of a linear economic model, based on continuous economic growth, which does not respect the intrinsic values of nature, its conservation and sustainability, multiplies economic and social inequalities, depletes natural resources and alters the balance of life on the planet. It also shows the way to overcome the problems raised globally by the high volume of agricultural waste, by discussing the possibility of achieving more efficient management of the mode of production. It shows the generation of wastes along the food chain, their differences, and how to overcome the problems that have arisen at the global level, using strategies to reduce the high volumes of agricultural residues and wastes and to make more efficient management of production and consumption modes. Finally, this paper proposes alternative approaches to the current linear economy model, to promote the transition to a circular economy model, using various procedures, especially green chemistry and green economy techniques, which represent more environmentally friendly approaches and inspire new business management models based on social and environmental sustainability. However, managing changes for the transition to the latter implies seeking solutions in complex scenarios–with low-productivity agriculture and persistent social and economic inequalities, hunger, poverty, and malnutrition, low levels of education, and difficulties in accessing basic services, which concurrently stimulate social instability, administrative corruption, and political precariousness in decision-making.