The energy consumption and efficiency of crop production in China

Abstract

Abstract Energy efficiency improvement is essential to the adaptiveness of agriculture to climate change in China, especially to meet the demands for both carbon neutrality and food security. This study examines the roles of agricultural inputs in energy consumption, crop production growth, and energy efficiency improvement from a long-term perspective (1949 to 2020). The results are as follows. (1) The total energy consumption of crop production increased at various increasing rates in different phases. (2) Energy efficiency presented a downward trend, from 0.468 tons of biomass per GJ energy consumption in 1949 to 0.178 tons per GJ in 2020. The decrease in energy efficiency slowed down when the agricultural biomass output increased. (3) From 1949 to 1978, mechanization and irrigation dominated the change in energy efficiency in crop production, accounting for about 47% of total energy consumption and 30.1% of crop production growth. From 1978 to 2012, fertilizer, pesticides, and film contributed 36% of total energy consumption and 6.0% of crop biomass growth. From 2012 to 2020, as fertilizer and pesticides were limited in crop production. Mechanization dominated the change in energy efficiency, accounting for about 18.7% of total energy consumption and 18.2% of crop production growth. (4) There were still challenges and uncertainties in agricultural energy efficiency improvement. The most important influencing factors include integrating energy efficiency and food security goals, rational allocation of the agricultural inputs, and further research and development of technologies for green agriculture innovation.