Low-Carbon Ecological Tea: The Key to Transforming the Tea Industry towards Sustainability

Waner Zhang, Mingyue Zhao, Youcheng Chen (), Yinlong Xu, Yongqiang Ma and Shuisheng Fan
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Waner Zhang: Anxi College of Tea Science (College of Digital Economy), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Quanzhou 362406, China
Mingyue Zhao: Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Youcheng Chen: Anxi College of Tea Science (College of Digital Economy), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Quanzhou 362406, China
Yinlong Xu: Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China
Yongqiang Ma: Anxi College of Tea Science (College of Digital Economy), Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Quanzhou 362406, China
Shuisheng Fan: College of Rural Revitalization, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China

Agriculture, 2024, vol. 14, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: The realization of the value of ecological products has led to an economic means for reducing carbon emissions in China. Tea is one of the most important cash crops and one of the most popular beverages in the world. Due to the complex the tea industrial chain, it is considered to be an industry with high carbon emissions. Ecological tea products with low-carbon attributes can be considered a linkage of ecology, economy, and society. Based on this, this paper presents research on low-carbon ecological tea (LCT). Herein, we construct the formational logic of low-carbon ecological products, explore the connotations of LCT, and form a conceptual pathway for realizing LCT to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. This paper starts from the upstream, midstream, and downstream of the industrial chain; it establishes three value realization pathways that keep, as a priority, the promotion of ecological industrialization, focus on restoration to improve the ecology of the industrial chain, and innovate technology to expand the industrial chain. The pathways are a set of low-emission production solutions that use techniques to enhance carbon sequestration in soil, reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides, and help shift to clean energy from low-emission sources in the stages of plantation, processing, and distribution. In the process of realizing LCT, the government plays an important role, and its support and guidance are needed. Based on stakeholder theory, this paper builds an implementation mechanism that focuses on the micro perspective (users, organizations), integrates the mesoscopic perspective (industry), and relies on the macro perspective (government).

Keywords: low-carbon ecological products; ecosystem services; tea industry; industrial chain; stakeholders (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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