Don advocates conversion of agricultural wastes to wealth to boost economy

Renowned researcher and eminent scholar in the field of Physical and Environmental Chemistry at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Professor Olugbenga Solomon Bello, has called for a policy to encourage conversion of agricultural wastes to wealth to boost the economy of the Nigerian nation.

Delivering the 10th Lecture of the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences of the University, titled: Valorization of Agricultural Wastes: A Resource for Environmental Remediation and Wealth Creation”,  Olugbenga Bello posited that valorization of agricultural wastes is a significant avenue for wealth creation through transforming discarded materials into valuable products such as biofuels, organic fertilizers, animal feeds and biomaterials, thereby generating new revenue streams, creating jobs, and reducing environmental pollution.

According to him, converting waste to wealth is a paradigm shift from a traditional linear economy (“take, make, dispose”) to a sustainable circular economy ( an economic model that prioritizes reuse and regeneration over a linear system which aims to minimize waste by keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible. He explained that it is an innovative approach which redefines discarded materials not as problems, but as valuable resources that can drive economic growth, create jobs and protect the environment. 

 He argued that Agricultural wastes, including crop residues (like rice husks, wheat straw, and sugarcane bagasse), animal manure, and food processing by-products, are rich in organic matter and nutrients, making them ideal feedstocks for various conversion technologies.