- Posted on 18 Feb 2025
- 10-minute read
Key sustainability measures identified to decarbonise Australia and China’s food system, while addressing phosphorus vulnerability.
VIDEO 1: The PACSAN Approach
While the world has mapped out net zero targets for sectors like energy and transport, the food and agriculture sector remain largely uncharted.
Phosphorus is essential for growing crops, but its global supply hinges on finite phosphate rock reserves, with 80% controlled by just five countries.
As climate change accelerates and phosphorus supply chains are at risk, Australia and China are at a crossroads, striving to secure food systems for their growing populations.
A collaborative effort
The Phosphorus & Climate Smart Agriculture Network (PACSAN) is a project funded by the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations, part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. It united researchers, industries, governments, NGOs, and consumers.
Most people don’t know that our food systems contribute around a third of the world’s total GHG emissions.
The goal? To develop an interactive model and build a resilient knowledge-sharing Network to tackle climate change and phosphorus scarcity across both countries.
ISF Associate Professor, Dana Cordell says, “For phosphorus, there are no nationally agreed targets, despite the importance of phosphorus security to both countries. Australia is the world’s 5th largest importer of phosphorus to support our agricultural system. While China is the world’s largest producer and exporter of phosphate, with finite reserves that may only last another few decades.”
Australia and China are making strides in renewable energy but hitting net zero means tackling food system emissions too.
ISF Director and Professor, Stuart White adds, “most people don’t know that our food systems contribute around a third of the world’s total GHG emissions. Emissions occur from farm inputs all the way to the dinner table and beyond: such as fertiliser use, livestock and crop production, food waste and household cooking.”
The PACSAN model found that the top sustainability measures to address phosphorus security and reduce GHG emissions in both countries were sustainable food choices, food waste avoidance, improved energy productivity, livestock feed additives and nutrient productivity.
What happens next?
PACSAN Network members prioritised five areas of mutual interest between Australia and China to explore further:
- improving energy productivity, such as electrification of food transport and heat pumps, which could be enhanced by platforms to share knowledge and expertise
- food waste avoidance, particularly in households, which would benefit from sharing and dissemination of lessons learnt from evidence-based behavioural change strategies, and packaging re-design, for example through the World Packaging Organisation
- nutrient productivity, to optimise soil fertility and crop yields while reducing GHG emissions and nutrient pollution of water, which could feature a shared priority research program, which could include study visits to each country by agricultural practitioners and researchers
- sustainable food choices, supported by awareness campaigns in both countries, as most people are not aware of the implications of their diets on planetary health, including GHG emissions and phosphorus consumption.
- traceability as a cross-cutting theme, including labelling, this could include analysis and reporting of companies’ carbon emissions to food labelling to support more sustainable food choices.
VIDEO 2: PACSAN Findings
more information
Visit the PACSAN website or read about its initial launch here.