Abstract:

Promoting agricultural carbon reduction and sink enhancement is a crucial approach to achieve China’s dual carbon goals and represents an inevitable trend in developing green agriculture. This study analyzes key carbon-emitting activities in agricultural farming processes and establishes an agricultural green development evaluation system based on existing research. The system comprises 4 first-level indicators (product supply, low-carbon effect, resource utilization, and ecosystem) and 25 second-level indicators. It estimates and evaluates the role of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) agriculture in facilitating agricultural carbon reduction and sink enhancement, while providing policy recommendations. TCM agriculture demonstrates significant potential in promoting the growth and development of crops and livestock, increasing yield and quality of agricultural products, degrading pesticide residues, regulating heavy metal pollution, recycling agricultural waste, and controlling pests and diseases. It effectively reduces the reliance on chemical inputs, enhances resource utilization efficiency, and innovatively improves the agricultural ecological environment, thereby comprehensively advancing carbon reduction and sink enhancement in agriculture. Given the current state of Chinese agriculture, there remains considerable potential for carbon reduction. As an innovative green ecological farming model with Chinese characteristics, TCM agriculture plays a vital role in promoting agricultural green development and achieving the goals of ‘Peak Carbon by 2030 and Carbon Neutrality by 2060’.

Key words: TCM agriculture, low carbon, agricultural green development, carbon reduction and sink enhancement, carbon neutrality