ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Agricultural and Food Economics
Volume 9 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1642509
Sustainable Transition of Food Consumption in Rural China: Spatio-temporal Patterns and Drivers of Carbon Footprint
Provisionally accepted
- Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou, China
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Since achieving basic food security and poverty alleviation in rural areas in 2000, China has experienced rapid growth in rural residents’ incomes, prompting increased scrutiny of food consumption sustainability. This study examines the transition in food consumption patterns of rural residents in China from 2001 to 2023. It quantifies their food consumption carbon footprint (FCCF) using the carbon conversion factor method and analyzes spatio-temporal patterns and drivers by integrating an extended STIRPAT framework with spatial econometric models. Three main findings emerge: First, spatio-temporal patterns reveal persistent structural imbalances in food consumption, with per capita FCCF showing a fluctuating upward trend. Second, per capita FCCF demonstrates significant spatial agglomeration, characterized by “high-high” and “low-low” clusters. Third, population, affluence, technology, trade, and food consumption structure all significantly influence per capita FCCF, albeit with notable regional variations. Identifying key drivers and their spatial spillovers offers valuable insights for tailoring region-specific policy interventions.
Keywords: food consumption, Carbon Footprint, Spatio-temporal patterns, drivers, Rural China
Received: 06 Jun 2025; Accepted: 31 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Qi, Guo, Ji, Long and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yeyi Guo, Zhejiang Agriculture and Forestry University, Hangzhou, China
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