On June 29, 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) jointly issued the Implementation Plan for Carbon Emissions Reduction and Carbon Sequestration in Agriculture (hereinafter referred to as the “Implementation Plan”), outlining ten actions for decarbonization in farming, livestock industry, and fishery.

In the Action Plan to Reach Carbon Peak by 2030 released in October 2021, the State Council had listed four fields of action to increase “carbon sinks”. The latest Implementation Plan for agriculture is the first sector-specific policy in this regard. Also, it is China’s first national policy where “carbon sequestration” is named.

For reducing the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) in agriculture, the Implementation Plan targets methane emissions from rice agriculture and livestock production in particular, as well as use of nitrogen fertilizers. Optimizing irrigation of rice, reorganizing feeding of livestock, and increasing the use of organic fertilizer are some of the measures advanced by the government’s plan.