Sustainable agriculture options for production, greenhouse gasses and pollution alleviation, and nutrient recycling in emerging and transitional nations - An overview

Previous and current agricultural practices have contributed to environmental pollution, which is further affecting food security, human health, and climate. Yet, agriculture cannot be eliminated, because, of its promising role in ending hunger, reducing poverty, improving nutrition, and achieving food security in low-middle income countries. Hence, there is a need for shift from ‘unclean’ practices to sustainable practices. Similarly, differences in pollution, among nations call for regional changes or intervention in agri-food practices to reduce global pollution. These practices are essential for African and Asian countries. Of the many methods proposed in this review, localized technology improvement and globalized sustainable intensification are of high impact models having the potential of mitigating greenhouse gases up to an extent of 30%. Various methods of achieving these measures include, but not limited to, the shift in management systems of crop and livestock production, encouraging agriculture and veterinary practices with less environmental impact and high adaptation, enabling nutrient recycling or recovery, resource-use efficiency, mitigation of nitrous oxide and methane from soil, implementation of integrated farming system and insect farming. Government agencies along with agri-food producers, processors, and farmers must be ready to change their current agricultural practices by adopting new methods. The review conclude that the sustainable agricultural production is possible through the use of low-priced local resources that are capable of increasing soil carbon storage, thus combating the pollution in countries with a transition economy. •Fungi and biochar can mitigate greenhouse gasses, recover nutrients and be used as feed additives.•Water hyacinth and seaweed can recover nutrients from wastewater and used as feed or fuel.•Carbon fiber reduced nitrous oxide emission by 85% in swine wastewater treatment.•Insect farming can be used for converting agricultural waste to high-quality protein for livestock.•Integrated farming can increase value derived per unit of water and other resource-input.