Development of Ecological Low-Carbon Agriculture with Chinese Characteristics in the New Era: Features, Practical Issues, and Pathways

Abstract

Agriculture is not only the source of carbon emissions, but also an important carbon sink. The development of low-carbon agriculture in China is closely related to achieving the national strategic goal of “dual carbon.” Reducing carbon emissions in China’s agricultural sector and accelerating the development of ecological low-carbon agriculture (ELA) are extremely important and urgent, both from the perspective of the long-term common welfare for mankind and from the perspective of maintaining the sustainable development of agriculture itself. However, ELA is still an emerging concept in China, and its connotation and characteristics are not yet clear. There is a lack of effective paths for orderly and scientific promotion of the development of ELA in China. Based on this, this paper focuses on the emerging concept of ELA and examines ELA with Chinese characteristics from the dimensions of connotation, features, practical issues, and pathways, aiming to provide guidance for the sustainable development of ELA in China. The research results indicate that there are regional development imbalances, low willingness of farmers to participate, insufficient technological reserves, and difficulties in realizing the value of ecological products in China’s ELA. It is necessary to improve the modern agricultural production and operation system, tap into the potential of agricultural emission reduction and carbon sequestration, build a technical system to support the development of ELA, and establish a sound mechanism for realizing the value of ecological products. By continuously improving the regional organizational capacity and performance of ELA, accelerating the advancement of ELA technology and demonstrating its regional promotion, and by establishing and continuously improving the support system for ELA, one can promote the sustainable development of ELA in China. In addition, the research findings of this paper can also provide reference for the ecological low-carbon development of the global agricultural sector, supporting the contribution of the agricultural sector to achieving high-quality global sustainable development goals.