By 2050, 30% of Total Cultivated Land to be Eco-Friendly Agriculture... Agricultural Machinery to Use Electric Power

Announcement of the '2050 Carbon Neutrality' Implementation Roadmap in the Agricultural and Food Sector

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to expand eco-friendly agricultural land to 30% of the total cultivated area by 2050 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by electrifying all agricultural machinery. Additionally, through efforts such as reviewing and introducing incentive systems for low-carbon technology implementation, the ministry has set a mid-to-long-term goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 38% compared to 2018 levels.

On the 27th, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced the '2050 Agriculture and Food Carbon Neutrality Promotion Strategy' containing these details. In the 2050 national carbon neutrality scenario announced last October, the agriculture and food sector committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 38% from 24.7 million tons in 2018 by 2050. The strategy announced on this day includes concrete implementation plans.

First, the government will shift the existing high-input conventional farming to a low-input, low-carbon structure to establish a foundation for greenhouse gas reduction in agriculture. This includes ▲acquiring big data on 30 major crops ▲developing fertilization, pest control, and irrigation solutions using the Smart Farm Innovation Valley ▲and conducting research and development (R&D) on next-generation core technologies such as intelligent agricultural machinery and robots to disseminate precision agriculture technology to 60% of all farms by 2050. As of 2020, precision agriculture technology dissemination was nonexistent, but the plan is to gradually improve it to 10% by 2030 and 30% by 2040.

Furthermore, to reduce greenhouse gases through decreased chemical fertilizer use, eco-friendly agricultural land will be expanded to 30% of the total cultivated area by 2050. As of 2019, eco-friendly agricultural land accounted for only 5.2%, but it will be gradually increased through legislation such as incentives, expansion of agricultural environment conservation programs, and broadening distribution channels.

Systematic management of agricultural resources such as soil and water will accelerate the reduction of greenhouse gas emission sources. By 2025, the pesticide safety information system will be advanced to establish an appropriate usage environment for fertilizers and pesticides, and by 2030, soil nutrient-related information will be databased. The soil's storage capacity will be enhanced through the dissemination of low-carbon farming methods such as biochar application, minimal tillage, and cover crop planting.

Along with this, systematic water management in paddy fields will reduce methane emissions from rice cultivation by 32%, from 6.3 million tons in 2018 to 4.31 million tons in 2050. To expand the area of farmland practicing simple irrigation for more than two weeks to 61% by 2030, low-carbon incentives will be developed. The goal is also to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from farmland by 18%, from 5.47 million tons in 2018 to 4.5 million tons in 2050, through appropriate fertilizer use based on scientific fertilization prescriptions.

In the livestock sector, the ministry aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock rearing by 56%, from 4.47 million tons in 2018 to 1.98 million tons in 2050, by expanding the distribution of low-methane feed, maintaining appropriate stocking density, and shortening the rearing period. The proportion of manure purification treatment will be increased, and through expanded energy utilization, greenhouse gas emissions from livestock manure treatment will be reduced by 11% during the same period.

All agricultural machinery will be electrified by 2050 to reduce 190,000 tons of greenhouse gases. Starting next year, R&D projects worth 3 billion KRW annually will accelerate the development of electric agricultural machinery, and by 2025, 32,000 old agricultural machines will be scrapped early.

Moreover, carbon neutrality in rural areas beyond agricultural production will be promoted. Rural solar power will be expanded considering farmland preservation, resident acceptance, and rural environment, and the agriculture and rural RE100 demonstration project (2022?2025, 12 sites) will be supported to achieve village-level energy self-sufficiency. In particular, to prevent conflicts surrounding rural solar power and to expand renewable energy without damaging prime farmland, agricultural facilities (livestock barns, mushroom cultivation houses) and agricultural infrastructure (reservoirs, irrigation and drainage channels, etc.) will be prioritized for use and dissemination.

In addition, the ministry plans to review and introduce incentive systems for low-carbon technology implementation such as low-carbon direct payments, develop national-specific emission factors, and advance greenhouse gas statistics and calculation methods, which form the basis for greenhouse gas reduction activities.

Kim Jonghoon, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, “In the agricultural sector, greenhouse gases naturally occur during crop production and livestock rearing, and reduction efforts may negatively impact food production or livestock productivity. Nevertheless, considering the urgency of achieving carbon neutrality and mitigating climate change, the ministry has set the highest possible targets and will faithfully implement the 2050 Agriculture and Food Carbon Neutrality Promotion Strategy to turn this into an opportunity to further develop our agriculture.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.