1. Evangelos Koumentakos| 10.10.2017
Circular economy: strengthening a classic concept in agriculture and forestry
Evangelos Koumentakos|

2. Copa-Cogeca’s key messages
Agriculture and forestry are based on natural cycles: Water, nutrients, soil, wind and solar energy are key factors for production.
Significant economic and environmental benefits by fostering the circular approach: enhancing productivity while making efficient use of available natural resources.
The circular economy is about optimising production and consumption systems and not only about reducing waste.
New business models can be created by optimising the use and reuse of resources: residues, co-products
Bioeconomy at the centre of the circular economy: reducing the use of fossil raw materials and producing bioenergy and bio-based products, hand in hand with the production of food.

3. Copa-Cogeca’s key messages
Valorisation of products currently considered to be waste and discarded: Rather than discarding products that do not meet marketing standards, common practice to use them in alternative manners. Processed and
used by the food industry and/or for animal feed and bioenergy
incorporated into the soil in order to increase the soil’s organic matter content, thus improving the soil quality.
Long-term strategies for value chains promoting the circular economy
A strong value chain can better address challenges such as climate change or price volatility.
maximisation of value per unit of resource while reducing production costs and risks

4. Case studies
Feed: use and valorization of co-products and by-products as feed ingredients = synergy between crop and livestock farmers. (i.e.pulps, peels, seeds…)
Fertilizers: use of agricultural co and by-products as organic fertilizers to close the natural circle and enhance the circularity of the sector. (i.e. vinasse, manure…)
Dairy cooperatives: with the support of R&I, production of drinks based on whey targeting a new consumer segment looking for healthy and natural protein products.

5. Case study: Reused water for agricultural irrigation
Reuse = valuable source of resources + reduction of ground water abstraction at the same time
Obstacles:
Consumer perception: “reused” vs. ”recycled”
Particles blocking precision irrigation technologies
Nutrient content: risk of adverse impact on plants an environment
Legal liabilities in case of foodborne outbreak
Price of reused water still to high
EC minimum quality requirements for reused water necessary to further the uptake of water reuse.

6. Research & Innovation
R&I will further improve the environmental performance of the sector.
Use resources more efficiently
Green growth by producing more with less
To unlock full potential of R&I for circular economy:
Advisory services and vocational training
Long-term investments that need financial support
Connectivity, interoperability and data ownership
Bottom-up and multi-stakeholder approaches

7. Challenges and recommendations
Further optimisation has huge potential in the current context of specialisation both for crop and in livestock production
Integrated farming systems that allow for the reduction of external inputs such as energy is important for farmers and their cooperatives.
The CAP plays an important role in promoting a more bio-based economy as an important part of the circular economy and supporting a more circular approach.
The circular economy approach must also become more attractive for small and medium-sized businesses
consumer education and food wastage: urban population lacks understanding of natural processes + predefined ideas of product quality
Investments are crucial to help farmers improve their economic and environmental performance, support farm modernisation, and promote the sector’s uptake and use of new technologies