Towards a sustainable food system in China: insights from an integrated environmental-economic modelling approach

This PhD research focuses on how China can feed its population in a healthier and more environmentally friendly way. As the world’s largest agricultural producer and importer, and the largest annual emitter of greenhouse gases, China plays a pivotal role in global food system sustainability. Given the interconnections of global food systems through international trade, shifts in China’s food production and consumption patterns would have cross-border impacts beyond China. An integrated environmental-economic applied general equilibrium modelling approach is employed in this thesis to assess the environmental and economic impacts of various transformation options towards sustainable food systems, including production-side, land-based, and consumption-side mitigation measures, as well as environmental policy instruments. Overall, the thesis contributes to policy design aimed at achieving the dual dividend of environmental sustainability and food security and provides insights into minimising trade-offs and exploiting synergies in China’s food system transformation.