Ren Yanjun: Promoting the transformation of the agricultural food system to help achieve the dual-carbon goals

2023-04-26

In 2020, the Chinese government solemnly pledged at the United Nations General Assembly that China would participate in climate governance with a more positive attitude and would strive to peak its greenhouse gas emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2060 through concrete policies. Recently, Ren Yanjun, a professor from the School of Economics and Management at Northwest A&F University, stated in an interview with our reporter that promoting the transformation of the agricultural food system is a feasible path to achieve the dual-carbon goals.

 

"Greenhouse gases in the agricultural food system mainly come from three sources: agricultural production activities, land use and its changes, and forestry, as well as energy consumption in the agricultural food system." Ren Yanjun believes that greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural production activities mainly come from agricultural land, rice cultivation, animal intestinal fermentation, beef production, animal manure, and agricultural waste treatment.

 

China Daily: With technology as the core to achieve the dual-carbon goals, how can we improve the level of agricultural technology and win the low-carbon transformation battle?

 

Ren: The improvement of the current technology level is the first driving force to achieve the dual-carbon goals. Central and local governments should further increase policy and financial support for green and low-carbon agricultural technologies, especially those with dual benefits of increasing production and reducing emissions, such as smart fertilizers, green and low-carbon planting and pollution control technology, low-carbon recycling technology for livestock manure, and production and processing technology for green food. They should also support the research and improve the development capabilities and scientific and technological strength of agricultural technology in all stages of pre-production, production, and post-production.

 

At the same time, we should further grasp the direction of agricultural technology, improve the precision of inputting agricultural technology elements, guide and encourage social service organizations to participate in the promotion and application of new agricultural green and low-carbon technology, and increase the diffusion speed and scope of new technology.

 

China Daily: Achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality is a wide-ranging and profound systemic transformation of the economic and social system, which requires not only consolidating the responsibility of producers but also implementing the responsibility of consumers. How can we help consumers participate in the dual-carbon goals?

 

Ren: As an important part of the carbon neutrality action, ignoring and underestimating the role of consumers in it will not help achieve the dual-carbon goals. First of all, we should encourage consumers to participate in emission reduction more vigorously, guide and educate residents to form good consumption habits, especially advocating for thrift, encouraging appropriate diets, and reducing food waste in various links of the food chain from the field to the table.

 

In addition, a nationwide promotion of education on how to manage a healthy diet should be conducted to optimize residents' dietary structure, especially by reducing the demand for high-carbon-emission foods such as meat, thereby guiding residents to form a healthy and sustainable dietary pattern.

 

China Daily: Land and land-use changes can absorb excess greenhouse gases in the form of carbon sinks. How can we strengthen national spatial planning and improve carbon sink capacity?

 

Ren: Achieving the dual-carbon goals cannot rely solely on low-carbon technology and food consumption transformation, but should also comprehensively improve carbon sink capacity through land and land-use changes. Therefore, on the premise of adhering to the “redline” of 120 million hectares of arable land, China should strengthen the management and planning of land use in the national territory, and increase the protection and restoration of ecological systems such as forests, wetlands, and grasslands, and strictly prohibit their development into farmland to avoid reducing the scale of land carbon sinks.

 

At the same time, for the land that is left over due to technological improvements and improvements in dietary structure, it can be converted into forests, wetlands, and grasslands according to the actual ecological conditions of each region, in order to increase the carbon sink increment.

 

Additionally, We also have Khalid Khan, an Associate Professor of Economics at the Balochistan University of Information Technology in Pakistan, to share his opinions about the transformation of China's agricultural policies:

 

To reach its goal of becoming a world leader in agriculture, China needs to invest more in research and development, grow the agricultural supply chain, and help multinational agribusinesses grow. The government has emphasized science, technology, and reforms as ways to create a robust agricultural industry, with China owning crucial components like seed production.

 

China's agricultural policies are currently undergoing significant transformation. The government has implemented several programs to promote a modern, efficient, and sustainable agriculture industry. These initiatives include agricultural subsidies, infrastructural expenditures, and adjustments to land-use regulations. These efforts not only boost rural development and alleviate poverty but also encourage farmers to embrace new technologies and diversify their crop production. The government's investment in cutting-edge technologies such as precision agriculture and agricultural drones has resulted in increased yields and decreased expenses.