Greenhouse gas emissions from pre- and post agricultural production processes (1990–2020). Global, regional and country trends

Agrifood systems account for one-third of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and pre- and post-production (PPP) activities represent just over 33 percent (5.5 Gt CO2eq) of agrifood systems emissions. PPP activities cover activities after the farm gate (food processing, food packaging, food transport, food retail, food household consumption, agrifood systems waste disposal), and before the farm gate (fertilizer manufacturing, pesticide manufacturing, generation of electricity used on farm, generation of heat used on farm).

FAOSTAT launched a new statistical domain dedicated to greenhouse gas emissions from pre- and post-agricultural production activities in agrifood systems to better capture the environmental impact of agrifood systems. Data already published in FAOSTAT in previous years, and previously disseminated in other domains, are now organized in the PPP domain, including information on both emissions and the underlying activity data.

This work aims in to inform policymaking and mitigation strategies to address climate change effectively. By providing a comprehensive and updated dataset on pre- and post-production emissions, researchers and decision-makers can better understand the interconnections across agrifood system activities and target high priority areas for interventions.