Agricultural Waste Management and Sustainable Practices

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable agricultural development requires innovative strategies to manage waste efficiently while minimizing environmental impacts. Agricultural waste management and sustainable practices play a crucial role in achieving circularity in food systems by transforming waste into valuable resources. Among the most promising approaches, bioconversion of agricultural waste into value-added products and the development of biodegradable packaging from agricultural waste offer viable solutions to reduce pollution, enhance resource efficiency, and promote a more sustainable bioeconomy.

The scientific foundation of agricultural waste management integrates biological, chemical, and engineering solutions to optimize waste valorization while reducing environmental footprints. Through bioconversion technologies, agricultural residues and byproducts can be repurposed into biofuels, biofertilizers, animal feed, and other high-value products. Additionally, the shift toward biodegradable packaging derived from agricultural waste presents an eco-friendly alternative to conventional plastics, helping to address global concerns related to plastic pollution and environmental degradation.

These sustainable practices can significantly improve the resilience of agricultural systems by closing material loops, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting soil regeneration. However, widespread adoption requires collaborative efforts from farmers, researchers, policymakers, and industry leaders. While emerging agricultural enterprises are integrating waste-to-product innovations, scaling these solutions across diverse agricultural landscapes presents technical, economic, and regulatory challenges. A critical question remains: How can agricultural waste be effectively transformed into valuable resources, and what role do bioconversion technologies and biodegradable materials play in fostering sustainable agriculture?

This Special Issue aims to address this question by exploring cutting-edge research on agricultural waste management, bioconversion technologies, and sustainable packaging solutions. MDPI’s Sustainability serves as an ideal platform for publishing innovative studies at the intersection of waste valorization, circular economy strategies, and environmental sustainability in agriculture. We invite scholars and practitioners to contribute original research, reviews, and case studies focusing on the following:

• Bioconversion of agricultural waste into biofuels, biofertilizers, and biochemicals;
• Microbial and enzymatic processes for agricultural waste valorization;
• Development and performance evaluation of biodegradable packaging from agricultural residues;
• Circular economy approaches in agricultural waste management;
• Technological advancements in sustainable packaging materials;
• Environmental and economic impacts of waste valorization strategies;
• Innovative policies and regulatory frameworks for sustainable waste management;
• Pilot and demonstration projects in waste-to-product innovation;
• Community-driven and collaborative waste management initiatives;
• Certification systems and sustainability assessments for bio-based products.

We encourage researchers, industry professionals, and policymakers to contribute their insights and help advance knowledge in agricultural waste management, bioconversion technologies, and sustainable packaging.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Lavinia Calinoiu
Dr. Laura Mitrea
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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. Sustainability 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 2400 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.

• agricultural waste management
• bioconversion technologies
• value-added products from waste
• biodegradable packaging
• circular economy in agriculture
• sustainable waste valorization
• bio-based materials
• microbial and enzymatic waste processing
• eco-friendly packaging solutions
• waste-to-resource innovations