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Agriculture
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Application of Biomass in Agricultural Circular Economy
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Application of Biomass in Agricultural Circular Economy

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Economics, Policies and Rural Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 December 2025) | Viewed by 3605

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Luiza Ossowska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economics, Koszalin University of Technology, 75-453 Koszalin, Polnad
Interests: tenergy consumption; sustainable development; events; local development; green innovation; energy transition; renewable energy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Dorota Janiszewska

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Economics, Koszalin University of Technology, 75-453 Koszalin, Polnad
Interests: renewable energy; agriculture biomass; circular economy; tourism; events and festivals; local and regional development, rural development

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Implementing a circular economy approach is an alternative to the inefficient and environmentally unsustainable linear economy model, aiming to stop the growing trend of raw material consumption and decouple economic growth from raw material consumption. Agriculture is one of the key sectors in implementing the circular economy due to the raw material used, which is organic waste.

Circular economy in agriculture can contribute to improving the economic results of agricultural activities, as well as reducing pressure on the environment by reducing resource inputs and waste generation. Key aspects in the area of circular agriculture should be the following: ensuring the health of agroecosystems, avoiding the waste of essential resources, prioritizing the use of natural resources based on human needs, recycling agroecosystem by-products, and minimizing energy consumption and using renewable energy sources. Therefore, the circular economy in agriculture is an economic model that respects the environment and enables the creation of new business and employment opportunities, while having a positive impact on the well-being of society.

In this context, the aim of this Special Issue is to assess the role of biomass in the circular economy in agriculture. This Special Issue encourages interdisciplinary research in various fields of agricultural, economic, geographical, social and environmental sciences. All types of articles are welcome, such as original research, reviews, and opinions.

Dr. Luiza Ossowska
Dr. Dorota Janiszewska
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • agricultural biomass
  • circular agriculture
  • sustainable agriculture
  • sustainable development
  • policy perspective
  • green energy economy
  • biomass business model
  • environmental impact
  • bioeconomy
  • sustainability
  • recycling
  • resilience
  • agroecosystems
  • renewable energy sources

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 1572 KB  
Article
Exploitation of Different Frass from the Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera, Stratiomyidae, Hermetiinae) Rearing Chain
by Enrico Santangelo, Alberto de Iudicibus, Silvia Arnone, Ferdinando Baldacchino, Eleonora De Santis, Monica Carnevale, Paolo Mattei, Francesco Gallucci, Angelo Del Giudice, Alberto Assirelli and Claudio Beni
Agriculture 2026, 16(7), 725; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16070725 - 25 Mar 2026
Viewed by 470
Abstract
Black Soldier Fly larvae (BSFL) bioconvert a wide variety of organic waste into value compounds including the residual frass, a by-product exploitable as compost for plant growth. The use of a non-standardized waste diet that varies in terms of properties does not ensure [...] Read more.
Black Soldier Fly larvae (BSFL) bioconvert a wide variety of organic waste into value compounds including the residual frass, a by-product exploitable as compost for plant growth. The use of a non-standardized waste diet that varies in terms of properties does not ensure the maintenance of a highly fertile and healthy BSF colony able to produce viable inoculum (5–7-day-old larvae) for waste bioconversion. The Gainesville diet (GD) is a balanced formulation to ensure full larval development in fertile adults, resulting in a stable rearing colony. On a large scale, the bioconversion supply chain can produce different types of frass. Frass derived from the Gainesville diet (GDf), from fruit and vegetable waste (FVWf), and from milled fruit and vegetable waste (MWf) was composted and then compared to evaluate its fertilizing effect on lettuce growth in two pot-growing experiments. Each compost was added at concentrations of 2.5, 5, and 10%. The growth of lettuce improved significantly with the addition of composted frass in a dose-dependent manner when compared to unfertilized soil. GDf 10% gave the significantly best performance in terms of plant height (20.8 cm versus 17.9 cm) and fresh weight (113.5 g versus 87.7 g) compared to FVWf. In the experiment, the combined use of composted frass at 10% of both GDf and FVWf with a double mineral fertilizer application showed no significant differences compared to triple application. However, GDf provided significantly greater chlorophyll content than FVWf. These results highlight how, under the conditions tested in the present work, the frass of the entire productive chain of BSF is a high value by-product. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biomass in Agricultural Circular Economy)
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18 pages, 1651 KB  
Article
Possibilities of Producing Agricultural Biogas from Animal Manure in Poland
by Dorota Janiszewska and Luiza Ossowska
Agriculture 2026, 16(3), 301; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16030301 - 24 Jan 2026
Viewed by 712
Abstract
Biogas production from agricultural residues is a promising solution for renewable energy production, improved waste management, and beneficial impact on climate change mitigation. The aim of this study is to assess the actual use and theoretical potential of agricultural biogas produced from animal [...] Read more.
Biogas production from agricultural residues is a promising solution for renewable energy production, improved waste management, and beneficial impact on climate change mitigation. The aim of this study is to assess the actual use and theoretical potential of agricultural biogas produced from animal manure in Poland at the local level. The potential and actual use of agricultural biogas are presented regionally (16 voivodeships) and locally (314 districts). The theoretical potential of agricultural biogas was estimated based on data from the Agricultural Census conducted by the Central Statistical Office in Poland in 2020. Actual biogas production is based on data from the Register of Agricultural Biogas Producers maintained by the National Support Center for Agriculture. The study shows that Poland is only tapping into the existing potential for agricultural biogas production to a limited extent. Furthermore, both actual agricultural biogas production and the identified theoretical potential vary spatially (greater potential in the northern part of the country, significantly lower in the southern part). This situation is attributed to existing barriers that hinder the utilization of existing potential. Therefore, it is crucial to seek new solutions to reduce existing barriers of an organizational, legal, technical, economic, environmental, spatial, and social nature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biomass in Agricultural Circular Economy)
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21 pages, 309 KB  
Article
Does Agro-Eco Efficiency Matter? Introducing Macro Circular Economy Indicator into Profitability Modeling of Serbian Farms
by Dragana Novaković, Mirela Tomaš Simin, Dragan Milić, Tihomir Novaković, Maja Radišić and Mladen Radišić
Agriculture 2026, 16(1), 88; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture16010088 - 30 Dec 2025
Viewed by 562
Abstract
The transition toward sustainable and circular agricultural systems is increasingly important, yet evidence linking circularity and farm profitability in transition economies remains limited. This study examines the determinants of farm profitability in Serbia by combining micro-level structural and productivity indicators with a macro-level [...] Read more.
The transition toward sustainable and circular agricultural systems is increasingly important, yet evidence linking circularity and farm profitability in transition economies remains limited. This study examines the determinants of farm profitability in Serbia by combining micro-level structural and productivity indicators with a macro-level agro-eco efficiency measure, used here as a sector-wide ecological pressure indicator rather than a direct proxy for circular practices. Using a balanced Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) panel of 443 farms (2015–2022) across dairy, mixed, field crop, and fruit & wine sectors, dynamic panel estimators (difference and system Generalized Method of Moments-GMM) reveal strong sectoral heterogeneity. Asset turnover is the primary driver of profitability in field crops and perennial systems, while dairy farms benefit from scale and land productivity. Energy intensity consistently reduces profitability across all sectors. Agro-eco efficiency shows a negative effect in livestock-based systems, indicating higher sensitivity to macro-ecological pressures. These findings suggest that environmental and economic vulnerabilities differ across production systems, highlighting the need for sector-specific strategies aimed at improving resilience rather than inferring the profitability of circular technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biomass in Agricultural Circular Economy)
32 pages, 444 KB  
Article
Does Digital Literacy Increase Farmers’ Willingness to Adopt Livestock Manure Resource Utilization Modes: An Empirical Study from China
by Xuefeng Ma, Yahui Li, Minjuan Zhao and Wenxin Liu
Agriculture 2025, 15(15), 1661; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15151661 - 1 Aug 2025
Viewed by 1194
Abstract
Enhancing farmers’ digital literacy is both an inevitable requirement for adapting to the digital age and an important measure for promoting the sustainable development of livestock and poultry manure resource utilization. This study surveyed and obtained data from 1047 farm households in Ningxia [...] Read more.
Enhancing farmers’ digital literacy is both an inevitable requirement for adapting to the digital age and an important measure for promoting the sustainable development of livestock and poultry manure resource utilization. This study surveyed and obtained data from 1047 farm households in Ningxia and Gansu, two provinces in China that have long implemented livestock manure resource utilization policies, from December 2023 to January 2024, and employed the binary probit model to analyze how digital literacy influences farmers’ willingness to adopt two livestock manure resource utilization modes, as well as to analyze the moderating role of three policy regulations. This paper also explores the heterogeneous results in different village forms and income groups. The results are as follows: (1) Digital literacy significantly and positively impacts farmers’ willingness to adopt both the “household collection” mode and the “livestock community” mode. For every one-unit increase in a farmer’s digital literacy, the probability of farmers’ willingness to adopt the “household collection” mode rises by 22 percentage points, and the probability of farmers’ willingness to adopt the “livestock community” mode rises by 19.8 percentage points. After endogeneity tests and robustness checks, the conclusion still holds. (2) Mechanism analysis results indicate that guiding policy and incentive policy have a positive moderation effect on the link between digital literacy and the willingness to adopt the “household collection” mode. Meanwhile, incentive policy also positively moderates the relationship between digital literacy and the willingness to adopt the “livestock community” mode. (3) Heterogeneity analysis results show that the positive effect of digital literacy on farmers’ willingness to adopt two livestock manure resource utilization modes is stronger in “tight-knit society” rural areas and in low-income households. (4) In further discussion, we find that digital literacy removes the information barriers for farmers, facilitating the conversion of willingness into behavior. The value of this study is as follows: this paper provides new insights for the promotion of livestock and poultry manure resource utilization policies in countries and regions similar to the development process of northwest China. Therefore, enhancing farmers’ digital literacy in a targeted way, strengthening the promotion of grassroots policies on livestock manure resource utilization, formulating diversified ecological compensation schemes, and establishing limited supervision and penalty rules can boost farmers’ willingness to adopt manure resource utilization models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Application of Biomass in Agricultural Circular Economy)
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