Population growth leads to an increase in the demand for energy, water, and food as cities grow and urbanize. However, the Earth's limited resources are unable to meet these rising demands. Modern farming practices increase productivity, but waste resources and consume too much energy. Agricultural activities occupy 50 % of all habitable land. After a rise of 80 % in 2021, fertilizer prices have increased by nearly 30 % in 2022, representing a significant cost for farmers. Sustainable and organic farming has the potential to reduce the use of inorganic fertilizers and increase the utilization of organic residues as a nitrogen (N) source for plant nutrition. Agricultural management typically prioritizes nutrient cycling and supply for crop growth, whereas the mineralization of added biomass regulates crop nutrient supply and CO₂ emissions. To reduce overconsumption of natural resources and environmental damage, the current economic model of "take-make-use-dispose" must be replaced by "prevention-reuse-remake-recycle". The circular economy model is promising for preserving natural resources and providing sustainable, restorative, and regenerative farming. Technosols and organic wastes can improve food security, ecosystem services, the availability of arable land, and human health. This study intends to investigate the nitrogen nutrition provided by organic wastes to agricultural systems, reviewing the current state of knowledge and demonstrating how common organic wastes can be utilized to promote sustainable farming management. Nine waste residues were selected to promote sustainability in farming based on circular economy and zero waste criteria. Using standard methods, their water content, organic matter, total organic carbon, Kjeldahl nitrogen, and ammonium levels were determined, along with their potential to improve soil fertility via N supply and technosol formulation. 10 % to 15 % of organic waste was mineralized and analysed during a six-month cultivation cycle. Through the results, the combination of organic and inorganic fertilization to increase crop yield is recommended, as is the search for realistic and practical methods of dealing with massive amounts of organic residues within the context of a circular economy.

The soil has lost organic matter in the past centuries. Adding organic matter to soils is one of the management practices applied to recover the levels of soil carbon of the past and to improve soil properties. Is it a good practice to reduce global warming? In fact, one of the practices promoted to combat climate change is increasing soil organic matter. However, the addition of organic residues to the soil could facilitate the liberation of CO₂ and wastes could also have no positive effects on soil properties (i.e., pollution). In this sense, what it is important is: (a) to know which is the expected effect of the organic matter added to the soil; (b) how this application alters the soil processes; (c) which are the management practices that should be applied; (d) how much is the real amount of carbon sequester by the soil and; (e) the balance at short and long period after the application of the organic matter. The adequate strategy should be to favour the increment of biologically stabilized soil organic matter considering medium and long time. However, it is necessary to adapt the strategies to the local environmental conditions.

This chapter provided an overview of the physical properties of soils and their importance on the mobility of water and nutrients and the development of a vegetation cover. It also gives some examples of why the use of agricultural residues can affect positively soil physical properties. The incorporation of agricultural wastes can be a sustainable practice to improve soil characteristics, favoring a model of zero waste in agricultural production and allowing better management of soils. We review and analyze the effect of the use as amendments of different agricultural residues, on physical properties of the soil (e.g., bulk density, porosity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity), especially related to the movement of water in the soil.