Approaches to Promote China's Low Carbon Agricultural Development

Chen Yao

Publishing Center, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China

Introduction

Agriculture as the foundation of the national economy is an important source of greenhouse gas. In the research of low carbon economic problems, we always pay attention to the problems of cities and industry,less attention can be paid to agriculture. In fact,agriculture essentially depends on solar radiation,land, air and water from natural primary resources transformation food process, with carbon sink and carbon source (emission)double characteristics, and is the best foothold of low carbon economy. Therefore,low carbon agriculture must be a part of low carbon economy system, and the development of low carbon agricultural potential is tremendous.

More and more attention from the world and the Chinese government has paid to low carbon agriculture, in recent years the domestic scholars also began to carry on the related theory research on low carbon agriculture. Xue (2011)from the research angle of wheat carbon investment, and put forward some effective suggestions and strategies to reduce wheat carbon emissions in Henan Province, such as to improve Henan agricultural mechanization level,reduce the using of small but high energy consumption agricultural machinery, strongly advocated the substitution of chemical fertilizer use, improve the utilization rate of fertilizer and many other measures.Liang and Tian (2012)pointed out the present whole situation and the development path of the low carbon agricultural development in China. In a low carbon economy fi eld, low carbon agriculture although is not the major source of carbon emissions, but agriculture as the first industry is closely linked with our life. The 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China first pointed "beautiful China" and"the national sustainable development" in the report,and put forward the focus on promoting the green development, the circulation development, and low carbon development, fully shows the party will pay attention to the ecological civilization construction to an unprecedented height. The above statements provided certain references for this study, and the paper focused on how to break China's low carbon agricultural development obstacle, in order to further promote China's low carbon agricultural development.

Obstacles of China's Low Carbon Agricultural Development

On the premise of guaranteeing the social needs,through the science and technology, policy, management, and other measures to save resources, low carbon agriculture refers to reduce the investments,reduce emissions, control pollution, improve the efficiency of resource transformation, economic benefits of production and carbon capture carbon absorbing ability, in order to realize the agricultural production system with the minimized direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions during the whole production process (before, during and after production)(Gao, 2011). However, compared to the situation of industrial optimization and upgrading, difficulties and obstacles are particularly prominent in the development of China's low carbon agriculture,

Weak ideology of low carbon agricultural development

Since the reform and opening up, China's economic development has made remarkable achievements, the concept of low carbon economic development also deeply rooted among the people gradually. Since 2000, the Chinese government issued the documents continuous strengthening agricultural development,therefore, the speed of rural economy development continues to increase, at the same time, the realistic problems, such as the shortage of agriculture and rural resources also appeared constantly. In order to solve those realistic problems, under the background of low carbon economy, low carbon agriculture as a kind of newly emerging thing began to get the attention of people, but whether the cognition in theory or the inspection in practice, to a certain extent, there are still some problems. Although in the process of low carbon agricultural development, many foreign advanced concepts had been studied, in the practice process, few of these ideas can be widely accepted and used by the whole society.

Low agricultural resource effective utilization rate and high carbon emissions

The effective use of agricultural resources is the key to sustain the agricultural production smoothly, as the rising of China's urbanization and industrialization level, and the accelerating of the development speed,in recent years, China's urban, suburban towns and their nearby fertile lands and vegetable fields were constantly occupied by various construction lands, which will lead to the continuous decrease of the quantity of the cultivated lands, the effective lands for agricultural production are scarcity. At the same time, the problem of low utilization rate of pesticide further intensif i es, for a long time, to ensure production and income, farmers used to use a lot pesticides of more than standard dosage in the daily agricultural production activities, among them, most pesticides haven't been effective used, and finally go into the surface water, soil and a large number of agricultural products. This kind of high carbon chemical agricultural production mode not only causes the hidden trouble for agricultural production, but also does serious harms to the whole agricultural ecological environment. In addition, China is the world's largest fertilizer consumer, but the effective utilization of fertilizer is only 30%-40%, which is lower from the 60%-70% level of the west, every year the irrational fertilization caused more than 1000 tons of nitrogen loss to farmland, which leads a direct economic loss of 30 billion Yuan (Cheng, 2010). These problems are becoming more severe, which makes the quality of cultivated lands decline. Meanwhile, there are still some other human factors and inevitable natural disasters, etc., which lead the total cultivated land resources increasing degradation, therefore, it will be a serious threat to China's food security.

Insufficient standard of developing low carbon agricultural technology

Without reasonable and scientific standard and measure no technology can be applied. The develop-ment prospect of low carbon agriculture in China is undoubtedly good, but due to the ideas and low carbon technology popularization range and many other kinds of factors which restrict the development, and the agricultural science and technology fund input is far lower than the general level, low carbon agricultural technology standard evaluation standard system still failed to improve and perfect. As time passes,agricultural production cost will not be really reduced,but human capital will be wasted or even more serious effects will be produced on low carbon technology promotion.

Approaches to Promote China's Low Carbon Agricultural Development

To protect China's agricultural economy sustained development, and environment and resource sustainable use, the development of low carbon agriculture is the key to the development of agriculture.The development of low carbon agriculture can't live without its main body of farmers, government leading and the promotion of low carbon agricultural technology. Only these three parts organic combination can play the role of low carbon agriculture, guarantee the farmers' income, agricultural production increase,and the rapid development of rural economy.

Strengthen low carbon agricultural propaganda and promotion efforts

Promote the low carbon agricultural development, the environmental protection consciousness of agricultural producers must be first strengthened, encourage farmers to adapt to the low carbon green consumption mode, and disseminate low carbon economy and low carbon agricultural knowledge in the whole society. At the same time, through various means of publicity, we can carry on the low carbon agricultural propaganda down to the basic unit. Through the activity of rural green low carbon community preaching, green low carbon campus establishing, support and guide the youth volunteers to carry out various activities of preaching in the countries. Secondly, establish a social public opinion supervision mechanism, and encourage the public to actively participate in the low carbon agriculture related activities.

To establish effective low carbon agricultural development modes

Effective low carbon agricultural development modes will ensure the sustainable development of agricultural economy, and improve the agricultural resource utilization rate, implement the principle of"economizing on land, economizing on fertilizer,agricultural machinery energy-saving" agricultural development mode will no doubt become the first choice of China's low carbon agricultural development.Second, pay attention to technology intensive agriculture development model; focus the agricultural input to carry on the effective application in low carbon technology development and promotion. Third,build the cycle system, make full use of agricultural waste, and then establish low carbon cycle system and clean type ecological pattern.

Perfect technology innovation system and ensure low carbon agricultural development

The development of low carbon technology is the effective technical support of low carbon agricultural sustainable development. To ensure low carbon technology research, application and promotion, the key lies in whether have enough funding and policy support, scientific research personnel's investment and the support of the government departments. On this basis, we can carry out the agricultural carbon reduction technology, agricultural solid carbon technology and agricultural waste technology promotion and innovation, and then formulate relevant policies to regulate and guarantee the low carbon agricultural development.

Mechanism innovation for low carbon agricultural development

At present, rural environmental protection con-sciousness is weak in China, therefore, rules such as "rural environmental protection law" and "rural comprehensive resource utilization law" can be laid down for solving the practical problems of rural environmental laws and regulations. The government as the low carbon agriculture leading department should establish corresponding policy and mechanisms ensure the departments engaged in agriculture longterm planning. Thus, mechanism innovation is so important in the process of low carbon agricultural development.

Conclusions

Under the requirement of China's sustainable development of agricultural economy environment, the development of low carbon agriculture is urgent.Facing the effects of west developed countries by implying the "low carbon revolution", and to ensure China's food security and rural economic rapid,effective and sustainable development, we must according to China's present situation of agriculture,explore and formulate effective low carbon agricultural development policies, so as to realize the function of agricultural carbon sink.

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GaoW L, Shi S G , Xu L, et al. 2011. Low carbon agriculture concept and value. Journal of Jiangsu Agricultural Science, 2: 13-14.

Liang Q Q, Tian M. 2012. Present situation research of China's low carbon agricultural development. Journal of Agricultural Economy, 1: 51.Xue L L. 2011. Henan low carbon agricultural development-from the perspective of wheat carbon input. Henan Agricultural University.Zhengzhou.