Constructed Wetlands as Nature-Based Solutions in the Post-COVID Agri-Food Supply Chain: Challenges and Opportunities

Vasileios Takavakoglou, Eleanna Pana and Dimitris Skalkos
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Vasileios Takavakoglou: Soil and Water Resources Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organization “DEMETER”, Thermi, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece
Eleanna Pana: Laboratory of General and Agricultural Hydraulics and Land Reclamation, Department of Agriculture, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Dimitris Skalkos: Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 6, 1-14

Abstract: The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the interchangeable link between human and nature. The health and socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 are directly or indirectly linked to the natural environment and to the way that agri-food systems interact with nature. Although the pandemic continues to evolve and there are still many uncertainties, important issues about the future of the agri-food sector and the need for a sustainable and environmentally friendly reformation are beginning to arise in society. Nature-based Solutions (NbSs) encompass a broad range of practices that can be introduced in the agri-food supply chain and address multiple environmental challenges of the COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 era while providing economic and societal benefits. In this perspective, the design and establishment of multifunctional constructed wetlands as NbSs opens a portfolio of eco-innovative options throughout the agri-food supply chain, offering a realistic and promising way towards the green regeneration of the post-COVID-19 economy and the welfare of society. The aim of this work is to explore the potential role of constructed wetlands as Nature-based Solutions in the agri-food supply chain of the forthcoming post-COVID-19 era. More specifically, this work aims to reveal application opportunities of constructed wetlands in the different segments of the agri-food supply chain, identify linkages with societal challenges and EU policies, and discuss their potential limitations, future challenges, and perspectives.

Keywords: agri-food supply chain; environment; NbSs; eco-innovation; constructed wetlands; post-COVID-19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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