Carbon footprint of agricultural pesticides on main crops in China from 2011 to 2023.

Identifying and quantifying the carbon emissions from agricultural production is crucial for planning effective mitigation strategies for agricultural greenhouse gases (GHG). In this study, carbon footprint (CF) inventories from production to use of the three main types of pesticides on nine key crops in China from 2011 to 2023 were analyzed. We assessed the total CF, CF per unit area, and CF per unit yield of pesticides on the different crops. The results showed that the total CF of pesticides increased by 10 % between 2011 and 2023. Similar trends were seen with CF per unit area, while CF per unit yield decreased by 15 %. Carbon emissions varied among crops. Maize, rice, and wheat contributed more than 61 % of total pesticide CF, probably because of their large areas. However, vegetable CF recorded the highest increases, up 22 %, mainly due to the intensive use of pesticides to combat pests. Among the pesticide types, herbicides generated the highest CF (45 % of total CF) with an increase of 34 %, particularly due to their high emission factor. Finally, analysis of the impact of CF mitigation strategies has shown that promoting biological control methods and integrated farming systems are sustainable alternatives for efficient reduction of pesticide CFs. These strategies can effectively reduce carbon emissions without compromising crop yields. This study can thus serve as a reference for agricultural GHG emissions mitigation policies.