Summary:

This working paper provides a systematic analysis of greenhouse gas emissions across China's entire agri‑food system—from agricultural production and processing to transport, retail, and consumption—and evaluates mitigation pathways toward carbon neutrality. It examines the effects of both existing green development policies (such as pollution control and circular economy measures) and targeted low‑carbon agricultural actions. Through scenario modeling, the paper finds that even under ambitious deep decarbonization efforts, near‑zero emissions remain out of reach, highlighting the particular challenge of reducing methane and nitrous oxide from farming activities. The analysis identifies priority mitigation measures, including cooking electrification, manure management, fertilizer reduction, and rice field methane control. It concludes that achieving meaningful reductions requires an integrated, system‑wide strategy that strengthens existing policies, promotes clean energy adoption in rural areas, and establishes robust emissions databases to support decision‑making, while also emphasizing the need for stronger non‑CO₂ policy frameworks.

Suggested citation:

Chen, M., Hu, M., Yang, L., & Ma, Z. (2022). The Agri-Food System and Carbon Neutrality: An Analysis of Agriculture and Food-Related Greenhouse Gas Emissions Mitigation Pathways in China. Working Paper. Beijing, China: Innovative Green Development Program.

License:

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0)