Greenhouse gas emissions of rice supply chain in China: From production to trade

Abstract

Affected by climate change, food systems face enormous challenges of mismatch between competition for resources and nutritional demands. More than one third of food system emissions come from pre- and post-production. Research on emissions from food supply chains is crucial for building sustainable food systems and mitigating climate change. Rice is a major staple crop for mitigating emission risks in the food system. Based on the GHG emission accounts of rice supply chain in China from 2000 to 2020, this study analyzes the emission characteristics of rice supply chain during production, consumption, and trade, then elucidates the inter-regional transfers and inter-sectoral flows of rice emissions. This study found that non-CO₂ GHGs at the production side contributes 78.56 % of total emissions of rice supply chain. Emissions of rice supply chain showed a promising downward trend of China, with the gravity center moving northward. Emission risks of inter-regional transfers were lower in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Plain, while higher in the Northeast China Plain. Emissions of inter-sectoral flows predominantly manifest within the agriculture sector in the major rice producing areas or between the agriculture and its downstream sectors. Accordingly, this study concludes potential paths contributing to emission reduction along rice supply chain of China by improving the relationships of production and inter-sectoral and inter-regional trade. This study can provide references for building sustainable food systems under climate change.