Technoeconomic Assessment in Circular Agriculture: Bridging Methodological Gaps and Practical Insights

Circular agricultural systems (CAS) enhance sustainability through nutrient recycling and consolidating multiple output streams. However, technoeconomic assessment (TEA) methods for CAS are underdeveloped, which limits their adoption. This perspective evaluates TEA approaches for CAS through a structured assessment of peer-reviewed literature, classifying methods into deterministic financial models, process simulations, probabilistic analyses, and integrated frameworks. Cross-case synthesis reveals key limitations: inconsistent system boundaries, challenges in allocating costs to coproducts, weak uncertainty analysis, and an undervaluation of environmental and social benefits. Outcomes vary by context including scale, markets, and policies. Addressing these methodological shortcomings is critical to providing decision-makers with robust, context-sensitive evidence that can accelerate the adoption and scaling of circular agriculture.