Agriculture carbon-emission reduction and changing factors behind agricultural eco-efficiency growth in China

Reducing agricultural carbon emissions (ACE) plays a valuable role in China's overall carbon-emission-reduction plan. Using provincial data from 2001 to 2018, this work explores the dynamics of ACE and agricultural eco-efficiency (AEE) in China and the driving factors of AEE growth by DEA–Malmquist–Luenberger and panel data analyses. A previously unexplored aspect is investigated on the different mechanism of AEE growth among three types of agricultural areas. The findings suggest that the trend of ACE shifted from increasing to continuously decreasing after 2015 at the national level, mainly based on the contribution of major grain-producing areas. The results also imply that the AEE growth mechanism changed after 2010, mainly owing to technological progress. The improvement of agricultural infrastructure and human capital positively contributed to AEE growth, whereas public investment in agricultural R&D and agricultural industrial structure undermined it. Hence, green-oriented policies targeted at regional heterogeneity and agricultural public investments are needed for ACE reduction and AEE growth at the same time.