Abstract
This article is devoted to the role of the agri-food sector in mitigating anthropogenic impacts on the climate and adapting to climate change at multiple levels—global, national, and regional. The agri-food sector accounts for about 30 % of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, due to deforestation, emissions from livestock, croplands and pastures, production of mineral fertilizers, as well as fuel consumption for transportation and food consumption. An effective way for climate mitigation at the global level is the preservation of natural ecosystems due to their carbon sequestration capacity, but emission reduction across all economic sectors, including agriculture, is critically important. In Russia, GHG emissions from agriculture account for less than 5 % of total greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore climate mitigation in the agricultural sector is not considered a priority at the federal level. The main sources of agricultural emissions in Russia are agricultural soils (43.1 %), enteric fermentation in animals (42.4 %), and manure storage (12.8 %). At the regional level, there have been developed adaptation plans for climate change that include adaptation measures for the agro-industrial complex: water-saving technologies and precision farming, the creation of seed banks of climate-adapted crop cultivars, agricultural risk insurance, agroforestry and the establishment of protective shelterbelts, and the control of agricultural pests and diseases. With the increasing impacts of climate change, Russia’s agricultural sector needs to deepen and expand its mitigation and adaptation measures in response to current and future climate risks.