Integrated Waste Management Approaches for Food and Agricultural Byproducts

Book excerpt: Food wastage has become a major problem with about one third of all food produced for human consumption going to waste, leading to major socioeconomic and environmental consequences in an increasingly resource-constrained world. This volume embraces integrated management as a solution to food and agricultural wastage. It presents methods to lessen, reuse, recycle, and manage wastage by merging and employing a variety of suitable methods, equipment, and organizational plans. The volume begins with a global overview of the characterization of food and agricultural wastes. It then delves into using food processing applications that use byproducts as sources of valuable bioenergy and recoverable products. It explores methods for reducing, reusing, and recycling waste along with basic and modern environmental practices for food and agricultural waste management. Chapters discuss food waste management in conjunction with enhancing food security and sustainability and management strategies that offset the impact of food and agricultural wastes on the environment. Finally, the book looks at the challenges and opportunities that are associated with food and agricultural waste management across the globe.