LocationsOpening Remarks by Mr James George at the International Conference on Agriculture Emission Reduction, Carbon Sequestration and Climate Change Response
October 20, 2023
UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in China, James George, delivers remarks virtually at the opening of the International Conference on Agriculture Emission Reduction, Carbon Sequestration and Climate Change Response.
Distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen,
Good morning!
On behalf of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in China, I am delighted to participate at the opening of the International Conference on Agriculture Emission Reduction, Carbon Sequestration and Climate Change Response.
As all of us are aware, the agriculture sector in China has witnessed remarkable and rapid growth over the past 70 years.
According to a report from the National Bureau of Statistics, China's grain output grew at an average annual rate of 2.6 percent from 1949 to reach 686 million tons in 2022.
Today, China is among the countries with the largest agriculture production and consumption rates.
China is also a major exporter of both fresh products and processed foods.
Globally - we have witnessed how the agricultural industry has been modernized in the past two decades to embrace modern development practices and innovative new technologies to advance yield, resilience and expansionary agricultural practices.
However – the agricultural sector faces a number of challenges – these include a shortage of high-quality cultivated land; increased soil erosion; the loss of agricultural biodiversity, and rising water scarcity.
In addition, we have also witnessed the adverse environmental effects due to the application of fertilizers and pesticides.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In 2022, CO2 emissions from China’s agriculture sector were estimated to be 828 million tons, accounting for 6.7 percent of the total national emissions.
To date, the Government of China with support from UNDP, has made important efforts in tackling these issues.
Over the last four decades, together with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, as well as, other line ministries, we have worked to make agriculture and rural development more sustainable in China.
Our very first project in China was to establish a pilot demonstration center for Intensive Pasture, Fodder and Livestock Production in Inner Mongolia and provide training for local farmers.
"In our efforts to accelerate the progress of the 2030 Agenda, sustainable practices in the agriculture industry play a critically important role – primarily due to their broad impact on several interlinked SDGs."
In the early 1980s, we also helped establish a vegetable research center which introduced several new food varieties for cultivation in the Beijing area, including broccoli. This cooperation successfully increased the domestic vegetable varieties, farming revenues, and people’s nutritional intake.
Our focus has evolved from meeting people’s basic needs towards accelerating the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in China and in tandem with its national five-year development plans.
In our efforts to accelerate the progress of the 2030 Agenda, sustainable practices in the agriculture industry play a critically important role – primarily due to their broad impact on several interlinked SDGs.
I am pleased to note that our cooperation with MARA has evolved and expanded in recent years to new areas like climate change, biodiversity, and rural revitalization efforts.
One recent example of such cooperation is the project with MARA and Syngenta on straw returning and the promotion of soil health.
Over the span of three years, across four demonstration zones covering an area of 1.3 million hectares in the main grain-producing regions of Northeast China and the North China Plain, the project has managed to screen and optimize straw return technology, and integrate soil tillage technology, which has helped to improve soil health, promote carbon sequestration.
We look forward to continuously offering our knowledge, experience, and networks to advance sustainable agricultural development in China, and share relevant experiences and lessons learned with other developing countries.
In closing, I would like to thank colleagues from MARA and Syngenta for organizing today’s event and for their gracious invitation to speak.
With only seven years remaining to realize the 2030 Agenda, and the world facing a myriad of crises, now more than ever, we must come together to help rescue the Global Goals.
I am fully confident that through our partnership, we can do just that, and chart a new course towards a better, brighter, and more sustainable future, for generations to come.
Thank you all.
