Can the use of plastic products in agriculture be made sustainable?
The first episode of the IKHAPP podcast is now available on the IKHAPP YouTube and Spotify channels. In this episode, Richard H. Thompson and Kristina Thygesen discuss how the new plastics treaty could help achieve a sustainable use and waste management of plastics in agriculture and what the role of policymakers and scientists should be.
Richard is an independent chemicals and waste consultant and a co- author of the 2021 report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) titled: "Assessment of agricultural plastics and their sustainability: A call to action." Kristina is a senior advisor atGrid-ARENDAL ( a partner of UNEP). She authored the 2021 UNEP Working paper: "Plastics in agriculture: sources and impacts." These works represent the seminal documents through which the international community recognized and started addressing the problem of plastic pollution in agroecosystems.
While launching this podcast, IKHAPP invites all experts interested with an interest on agricultural plastics to participate in the FAO Survey “Towards the development of a Voluntary Code of Conduct on the sustainable use of plastics in agriculture”. Please give your feedbacks by Tomorrow.
Plastic is increasingly becoming an important asset in global agriculture. Many stages of agricultural production rely on plastics, especially in so-called protected cultivation systems, which include greenhouses, mulching films, protection nets, etc. Global agriculture produces 12 million tonnes of plastic waste every year, with a substantial fraction probably undergoing some form of mismanagement. During use and at the end of their life cycles, these plastics can degrade and their debris accumulate in soil.
Similarly, the circular use of organic waste, such as sewage sludge, compost, and digestates, as fertilizers can introduce large quantities of plastics into farm soil. Science has begun recognizing the negative impacts of this pollution on soil ecosystems and fertility.
Agricultural plastics and circularity are crucial for efficient and reliable food production and are important assets in achieving food security goals in the face of climate change. However, it is urgent to determine how to deploy these strategies in a sustainable way while preventing pollution.
In today's podcast, Richard and Kristina debate on this topic and give insights on how policy makers and stakeholders operating along the agrifood value chain can contribute to make the use of plastic in agriculture more sustainable.
