March 31st witnessed the opening of China Agricultural and Rural Low Carbon Development Forum and the 16th Summit for Agricultural Environment in Beijing. Zhang Xingwang, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA), and Wu Kongming, President of CAAS, attended the meeting and delivered speeches. The  2023 China Agricultural and Rural Low Carbon Development Report  was released at the event.

Vice Minister Zhang stressed that it is necessary to soundly build a circularly green and low carbon agricultural industrial system and constantly strengthen agricultural ecological environment protection for steady emission reduction and carbon fixation in agriculture and rural areas. He hopes that CAAS will better perform its mission, make breakthroughs in key technologies, as well as demonstrate and promot a batch of new models. It is also expected that CAAS will explore effective paths for agricultural carbon labeling and trading, participate in formulating supportive policies for green and low-carbon development, and make greater contribution to promoting green development of agriculture and a strong agricultural country.

Prof. Wu Kongming pointed out that the  2023 China Agricultural and Rural Low Carbon Development Report  is the first report released by CAAS on low-carbon development in the field of agriculture and rural areas in China, which also includes continuous tracking and research. It demonstrates the periodical achievements of green and low-carbon development in China’s agriculture and rural areas, as well as a strong proof of China’s practice of green development in agriculture and rural areas. The report will facilitate the establishment of a Government-Industry- Research-Application Platform,  and better support government decision-making. In this way, more people would tend to care about and support low-carbon development in agriculture and rural areas, providing strong scientific and technological support for building an agricultural power and comprehensively promoting rural revitalization.

The 2023 China Agriculture and Rural Low Carbon Development Report  comprehensively analyzes the current situation of China's agricultural and rural low carbon development, and points out that domestic agricultural carbon emissions are fundamental and survival. With a lower agricultural carbon emission intensity, stable and safe supply of food and important agricultural products can be secured while the carbon emission intensity of major food crops is declining. The Report also analyzes the main problems and challenges faced by China's low-carbon development in agriculture and rural areas, and believes that the "Implementation Plan for Agricultural and Rural Emission Reduction and Carbon Fixation" will synergistically promote high yield and efficiency as well as green and low-carbon development.

Tang Huajun, Academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Zhang Xiliang, Director of Institute of Energy, Environment, and Economy of Tsinghua University, and Yan Dongquan, Director of the Rural Energy and Environment Agency of MARA were invited to comment on the report.

Zhou Yunlong, Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Education of MARA, Directors of relevant departments of CAAS, representatives of provincial academies of agricultural sciences, relevant universities, research institutes and agricultural enterprises attended the Forum.