On July 4th, 2023, Academy of Global Food Economics and Policy (AGFEP) and Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Beijing Representative Office jointly launched the International Forum of Low-Emission Agrifood Systems (IFLEAS) in Beijing.

Xian Xin, Vice President of China Agricultural University; Keming Qian, Senior Research Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and former Vice Minister of Commerce; Xurong Mei, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Shenggen Fan, Chair Professor of China Agricultural University and Dean of AGFEP; Hu Qin, Chief RepreseXian Xin stated that climate change is a hot topic and its impact on the global society and economy was increasingly widespread and profound. The low-emission transformation of agrifood systems plays a crucial role in mitigating global warming. China Agricultural University is willing to work with colleagues to support the low-emission transformation of the agricultural food system.ntative of Beijing Office, Environmental Defense Fund, and other experts and scholars attended the inauguration. The forum was moderated by Kevin Z. Chen, Qiushi Chair Professor of Zhejiang University and Senior Research Fellow of International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

Moderator: Kevin Z. Chen

The forum received supports from EDF research projects and a CGIAR project: Mitigate Plus—Low Emission Food Systems. Distinguished guests from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China Agricultural University, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University, Renmin University of China, Zhejiang University, Wageningen University and Research, National University of Singapore, Michigan State University, the International Food Policy Research Institute, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the Children's Investment Fund, the World Economic Forum, the World Resources Institute, the Rocky Mountain Institute, the Climate Works Foundation, the Environmental Defense Fund, and other universities, institutions and organizations participated in the launch of the Forum.

Opening Remarks

At the opening ceremony, Xian Xin, Vice President of China Agricultural University; Keming Qian, Senior Research Fellow at Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and former Deputy Minister of Commerce; and Hu Qin, Chief Representative of Beijing Office, Environmental Defense Fund, delivered opening remarks.

Xian Xin

Vice President, China Agricultural University

Xian Xin stated that climate change is a hot topic and its impact on the global society and economy was increasingly widespread and profound. The low-emission transformation of agrifood systems plays a crucial role in mitigating global warming. China Agricultural University is willing to work with colleagues to support the low-emission transformation of the agricultural food system.

Keming Qian

Senior Research Fellow at Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and former Deputy Minister of Commerce

Keming Qian believed that the IFLEAS could be an excellent platform for international exchanges. He shared some thoughts on the low-emission transformation of the agricultural food system from three perspectives: Internationalization and global cooperation; The coordination of multiple development objectives and emissions reduction; The integration of emissions reduction and adaptation measures.

Hu Qin

Chief Representative of Beijing Office, Environmental Defense Fund

Hu Qin Environmental Defense Fund, emphasized that climate change was a long-term and profound development challenge for human beings, and the agrifood system was not only a significant source of carbon emissions but also deeply affected by climate change. He stated that EDF has carried out various works related to agricultural climate mitigation and climate adaptation. He hoped that the IFLEAS could serve as a multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral exchange platform to support the low-emission transformation of agrifood systems in China and globally.

Forum Mission and Action Plan

Professor Shenggen Fan from China Agricultural University outlined the forum's missions and action tracks. He emphasized that climate challenges call for the low-emission transformation of agrifood systems. Such transformation could achieve a "triple win": reducing carbon emissions, increasing crop yields, and enhancing agricultural resilience. Prof. Fan stated that IFLEAS aimed to provide an international and cross-disciplinary cooperation platform for research, promote the practical implementation of the low-emission transformation of agrifood systems, facilitate dialogue and exchange among academia, industry, and government, and strengthen talent training for a sustainable future.

Launch Ceremony

Distinguished guests officially launched the forum together and release the vision of the forum: Transform Agrifood System for a Sustainable Future.

Keynote Speech

Britt Groosman, Vice President of Climate-Smart Agriculture, Environmental Defense Fund; Xurong Mei, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences; Jianbo Shen, Professor at China Agricultural University; and Wei Zhang, Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute and co-lead of the Mitigate+ project of CGIAR delivered keynote speeches.

Britt Groosman

Vice President of Climate-Smart Agriculture, Environmental Defense Fund

Britt Groosman gave a keynote speech entitled "The future of agrifood systems in a climate-impacted world". She emphasized that climate change severely impacted food security and people's lives, and the agrifood system faced significant challenges and opportunities. She also pointed out that nitrogen emissions in crop production accounted for a considerable proportion. Therefore, balancing the nitrogen emissions was vital for crop yield. She identified some other key action areas, including accelerating the reduction of methane emissions from livestock, strengthening technological innovation, and increasing public policy support. She stated that the Environmental Defense Fund hoped to establish more cooperation with China to promote the low-emission transformation of agrifood systems.

Xurong Mei

Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Xurong Mei shared China's low-emission agricultural development strategy and thinking, introducing the accounting boundary of agricultural carbon emissions, and the status quo of global and China’s agricultural emissions. He stated that agricultural carbon emissions were the basic and essential emissions for survival. Compared with other countries, China had extremely low emission intensity, which continuously declined, and its contribution to global agricultural greenhouse gas emissions was far lower than that of agriculture. He proposed that China's agricultural emission reduction strategy should focus on reducing the intensity of carbon emissions for agricultural products while ensuring food security. He illustrated that the low-emission development pathways of the agrifood systems included reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture, increasing soil carbon sequestration, and reducing the intensity of agricultural carbon emissions.

Jianbo Shen

Professor at China Agricultural University

Jianbo Shen proposed research ideas and actions for China's green and low-emission agricultural development from a resource and environmental perspective, calling for multi-stakeholder cooperation, technological innovation, and ground-level applications. Prof. Shen emphasized four future development directions for China's agriculture: Soil carbon sequestration and conservation of cultivated land; Increasing crop yields and reducing agricultural emissions; Green and low-emission technologies; Regional integrated low-emission development strategies.

Wei Zhang

Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute and co-lead of the Mitigate+ project of CGIAR

Wei Zhang introduced the innovative practices of CGIAR in researching low-emission food systems. She stressed the importance of using a systematic view to guide food system transformation and the need to consider various innovative practices and actions from policy and technology to promote low carbon production and carbon sequestration. She also highlighted the core work of the Mitigate+ project, which included prioritizing targets and planning transformation strategies, developing research tools, providing scientific evidence, promoting innovative practices that contribute to achieving multi-dimensional development goals, disseminating research findings to scale-up the transformation, and enhancing social awareness through the media.

Panel Discussion

During the panel discussion, participating experts and scholars discussed the forum's development strategy, reviewed the forum's action plan, and proposed constructive suggestions on better conducting relevant research work, strengthening cooperation to enhance the forum's impact, and better collaborating on talent training and knowledge sharing. The participating experts stated that the establishment of IFELAS could bring together various actors, strengthen domestic and international cooperation and exchanges, and provide a broader platform for domestic and global research to jointly promote the low-emission transformation of agrifood systems in China and globally.

Photo of Participants

by AGFEP