Performance assessment of rice production based on yield, economic output, energy consumption, and carbon emissions in Southwest China during 2004–2016

Abstract

Global warming, energy consumption (EC), and food security have led to increasing concern about carbon emissions (CEs) from agriculture, especially CEs from rice cultivation in China. However, there are few studies on CEs from rice production in Southwest China (SWC) (including Yunnan Province (YNP), Sichuan Province, Guizhou Province, and Chongqing Municipality (CQM)), which has complex topography and climatic conditions. Here, a set of indicators based on yield, economic output, EC, and CEs were proposed to describe the performance of rice production in SWC during 2004–2016. The research results reflected that (1) the share of indirect EC of rice production was 75.46% in SWC, more than 90% of which originated from nitrogen fertilizer, compound fertilizer, and pesticides; (2) direct CEs contributed to 55.20% of the total CEs in SWC during the study period, and fertilizer production and utilization were the largest contributor (45.03%) to CEs in this area, followed by paddy fields (38.61%); (3) CQM had the worst performance in SWC in terms of CE intensity of economic output and profit from land use; (4) YNP had the greatest EC intensity based on yield, the greatest CE intensity based on sowing area and yield, and the worst production structure and comprehensive performance; and (5) the structure of rice production was optimized to different degrees in SWC, but no obvious improvement was seen in relationships between yield, economic output, EC, and CEs in this area. Therefore, measures should be taken to reduce the EC intensity and CE intensity of rice production in YNP, and rice plantation methods with high yield and fine quality should be emphasized in the other three administrative regions.