Agricultural Waste and Its Impact on the Environment

Agricultural waste includes any kind of waste generated by crop residues; production and processing of fruits and vegetables; livestock farming for dairy, poultry, and meat production; household food wastage; food chain supply markets; and retail counters. The increase in agro-industrial waste is directly related to the ever-increasing population of any country. China and India being the most populous countries are facing the challenges of feeding the nation in a sustainable manner along with management of agro-industrial waste. The unplanned dumping and burning of such waste are polluting land, soil, and water and adversely affecting human health. Looking at the conditions worldwide, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, SDG 12.3 and SDG 12.5, endorse the substantial reduction in waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse and half the global food waste per capita by 2030, while SDG 12.4 endorses environment-friendly management for all kind of wastes to reduce their adverse effects on air, soil, water, and human health by 2020. This chapter deals with the status of agriculture waste generation worldwide, its environmental effects, and various governing bodies working for the reduction and sustainable utilization of such agro-industrial waste.