Food waste, CO₂ emissions, and land use conflicts—these are just a few of the concerns that currently exist in the agricultural industry.
On the other hand, sustainability initiatives are on the rise, with sustainable agricultural practices helping to preserve resources, protect the environment, and create a better future for all.
While there are a range of solutions that can be applied in the agricultural sector, agrivoltaics and food waste recycling are two innovative strategies that help this industry increase its sustainability (and profitability). Sounds like a win-win, right?
Keep reading to learn how agrivoltaics works, the importance of farm waste management, and how these two strategies work together.
What Is Agrivoltaics?
Agrivoltaics is the use of land for both agriculture and solar photovoltaic energy generation. With this system, agriculture and solar energy production don’t have to compete for importance—they coexist and actually complement each other. So how does it work?
Agrivoltaics involves combining crops with photovoltaic panels, strategically placed with enough height to allow machinery to pass underneath. Depending on the strategy, this may also include animal grazing, in which livestock graze in and around solar panels.
In addition to using one piece of land for two purposes, these panels offer shade to the plants and animals, thereby protecting them from extreme heat and drought.
Overall, this approach has various benefits, including:
- Helping farmers use their land more efficiently
- Serving as an additional revenue stream for farmers
- Providing farmers with renewable energy on-site
- Maximizing the potential of solar energy
- Increasing crop yield
The Importance of Food Waste Recycling
Food waste recycling is the process of converting food waste into useful materials and products. With 30–40% of the food supply wasted in the United States and food making up the largest category of material placed in municipal landfills, food waste recycling is a critical strategy in diversion efforts.
That said, there are various ways that commercial and household waste can be recycled, with popular strategies including:
- Composting: Composting is the process of recycling organic materials into nutrient-rich fertilizer, which can then be used to improve soil health and increase crop yields—both of which are important in creating a more sustainable food system.
- Anaerobic digestion: Anaerobic digestion is a process in which bacteria break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen. This process has two outputs: biogas, a renewable energy source, and digestate, a nutrient-rich material that can be used as fertilizer.
- Upcycling: Food scraps can be repurposed into new products to reduce waste. For instance, fruit and vegetable peels can be processed into natural flavoring.
The benefits of these solutions include:
- Reducing landfill reliance
- Lowering greenhouse gas emissions
- Conserving resources
- Enhancing soil health through composting
- Supporting renewable energy production
Agrivoltaics and Food Waste Recycling: How They Work Together
Separately, these two strategies offer the environment a range of benefits. Together, they’re even more powerful, contributing significantly to sustainability efforts in the agricultural sector.
So how can these two separate solutions work towards the same goal?
Here’s how agrivoltaics and food waste recycling support each other in creating a more efficient system:
- Compost: Remember the benefits of compost we mentioned above? Since healthy soil fertility is a key factor in farming, compost can be put back into agrivoltaic farms, ensuring the health of the entire agricultural system.
- Renewable energy: On the other hand, the renewable energy created on agrivoltaic farms can be used to power food waste recycling facilities, thereby supporting a circular economy and maximizing resource efficiency.
In other words: Food waste is composted. Compost is used to improve soil health on farms. Solar panels support recycling efforts without taking up more space—an overall beneficial solution for both farmers and the environment.
Case Study: Agrivoltaic Systems in Mali and The Gambia
Now let’s explore how this looks in real-world applications, which can be seen in the APV-MaGa Project.
The goal of this project is clear: to establish agrivoltaics as a sustainable energy system that provides food, water, and electricity to the local population, all while increasing the resilience of the agriculture sector against climate change.
There were multiple challenges that this project had to address, including water scarcity, extreme temperatures, and scattered rain patterns. For a successful outcome, the APV-MaGa Project not only implemented agrivoltaics technology but also a rainwater harvesting system designed to generate energy, grow crops, and collect water.
Valuable lessons were learned throughout this project, including the need to prioritize local expertise, social acceptance, and legal research.
That said, the expected outcomes include access to a reliable energy source, the integration of an irrigation system, improved agricultural activities, and a better livelihood for the communities.
Overall, this project is a great example of how solar power can be combined with agriculture to improve the management of food, energy, and water.
Final Thoughts
Agrivoltaics and food waste recycling are powerful solutions that use one piece of land for dual purposes, both working to increase sustainability in the agricultural sector.
By combining these solutions, food waste can be diverted from landfills, renewable energy can be generated, and resources can be utilized more effectively. And as an added bonus, businesses that adopt these strategies can gain an additional source of income, therefore helping them increase overall profitability.
For the above reasons, agrivoltaics and food waste recycling are becoming increasingly popular. So ask yourself: Can these solutions help your business improve sustainability? How can they support long-term growth?
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