Enhancing agricultural productivity and food security through circular sustainability practices: A pathway to achieving sustainable development goal 2

This paper investigates the roles of the circular sustainability practices (CSP) in improving agricultural productivity (AP) and food security (FS) through the mediating effects of soil fertility (SF), crop resilience (CR) as well as through the moderating effect of climatic variability (CV). Online and offline surveys were used with 670 farmers in Pakistan. They used a 7-point Likert scale to assess CSP, SF, CR and AP. Structural Equation Modeling was done with help of Smart PLS software for data analysis. Results show that CSP has a positive effect on soil fertility (β = 0.385, p < 0.001) and crop resilience (β = 0.559, p < 0.001), and further leads to an increase in agricultural productivity (β = 0.182, p < 0.001). Furthermore, CSP and SF (β = 0.120, p < 0.001) relationship is moderated by CV, which indicates that climatic variability may impact the value of CSP in improving soil fertility and agricultural productivity. By using agroforestry and crop resilience, this study proves that they can help improve soil health, increase resiliency of crops, and increase productivity and, at the same time, reduce the negative impacts of climatic stressors, this study adds to the literature on sustainable agriculture. Our finding gives practical recommendations towards policymakers and farmers on integrating sustainable agriculture practices, for increased resilience and security in food availability under continuous threat of environmental challenges. The study requires policy interventions and agricultural support programs aimed at increasing productivity and food security in vulnerable farming communities through a circular sustainable approach.