Food waste recycling with livestock farms in Hanoi: An informal system in transition

In Hanoi province, hundreds of livestock farmers collect food scraps from urban neighbourhoods every day. This “swill” is used to feed pigs, chickens and fish on farms on the outskirts of the city. This atypical circular economy makes use of an organic resource, thereby avoiding its burial in public landfills. In a context of metropolization, this informal system of recycling livestock farms is under pressure because the volume of waste is increasing while agricultural land in urban areas is becoming increasingly scarce. How do these actors manage to continue this collection and what does the future hold for them? Through an analysis of empirical data, this article proposes to describe and quantify the contribution of this farmer organization to the urban metabolism of the metropolis. The originality of this practice is relevant in a global context of pressure on resources. Do these peri-urban livestock farmers contribute to a more efficient urban metabolism?