Impact of high-standard farmland construction policies on agricultural carbon emissions

High-standard farmland construction is an important hand in the green transformation of agriculture and a powerful support for promoting high-quality agricultural development. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) in China from 2006 to 2020, this paper employs the continuous double-difference method to systematically assess the impact effect of the high-standard farmland construction policy on agricultural carbon emissions and its path of action. The study finds that (1) the high-standard farmland construction policy has a significant positive effect on curbing agricultural carbon emissions, and the conclusion still holds under a variety of robustness tests. (2) Heterogeneity analysis reveals that there are significant differences in the emission reduction effects of the high-standard farmland construction policy in different land qualities as well as in the main grain producing areas. (3) The results of the mechanism test indicate that the high-standard farmland construction policy has an inhibitory effect on agricultural carbon emissions by reducing the intensity of agricultural energy consumption and enhancing land productivity. Accordingly, it is proposed to further optimize the financial expenditure structure of governments at all levels to effectively promote the construction of high-standard farmland; to promote energy-saving agricultural machinery and equipment, improve soil, and optimize planting structure; and to adopt diversified means to accurately and efficiently promote and implement the policy measures for the construction of high-standard farmland, adhering to the principle of tailoring to the needs of the local conditions.