Introduction
Across the global food system, tractors, irrigation pumps, refrigeration units, and fishing fleets all rely on energy. Monitoring how much fuel these activities consume — and the emissions that follow — helps explain the climate footprint of getting food from field to fork. Rising demand for resilient food supply chains keeps agrifood energy in the spotlight, even as governments push for cleaner power and smarter equipment.
Overall Agrifood Energy Use
In 2023, global agrifood energy demand reached 8,595,287.95 TJ (-8,145.5 TJ y/y). This highlights a moderation in energy intensity as efficiency upgrades and smart irrigation systems take hold.
Agrifood CO₂ Emissions from Energy
In 2023, energy-related CO₂ from agrifood activities decreased to 960,534 kilotonnes (-932 kt y/y). This shows renewed pressure from fertiliser production and on-farm processing as food demand rebounds.
Energy Use by Fuel
In 2023, agrifood producers drew on 2,948,747.95 TJ of electricity, 4,471,104 TJ of petroleum products, 592,990 TJ of natural gas, 430,234 TJ of coal, and 152,212 TJ of purchased heat, while combined “other fuels” (excluding electricity and heat) reached 5,494,328.01 TJ. This signals that electrification and modern fuel mixes keep expanding across farm operations and post-harvest logistics.
Non-CO₂ Emissions from Energy Use
In 2023, methane (CH₄) linked to agrifood energy was 1,185.54 kilotonnes, while nitrous oxide (N₂O) measured 119.39 kilotonnes (+2.7 kt and -0.34 kt y/y). This underscores the benefit of sealing biogas digesters, optimising cold chains, and phasing out leaky fuel systems.
FAQ
The dataset captures energy consumption and associated CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O emissions for agriculture, forestry, fishing, and aquaculture. It combines national energy balances with sectoral allocation models so that fuel use on farms, in fisheries, and in processing sheds can be compared across countries and decades.
Methane largely leaks from gas distribution lines, biogas capture systems, and cold storage, while nitrous oxide emerges from fuel combustion in boilers and combined heat-and-power units used to dry crops or heat greenhouses. Improvements in sealing, monitoring, and electrification are key to lowering the 1,185.54 kt and 119.39 kt readings recorded for the latest year.
Latest readings point to these high-consumption clusters:
- European Union – 1,103,141.42 TJ
- United States – 821,817 TJ
- China – 1,893,390.32 TJ
- India – 889,694 TJ
- Brazil – 447,453 TJ
Widespread mechanisation, fertiliser output, and large processing networks keep these economies at the top. Values refresh automatically as FAO publishes new updates.
Agrifood Energy Emissions in Other Countries
Compare the world’s agrifood energy footprint with individual markets to spot diversification opportunities and resilience gaps.
Methodology and Data Sources
All indicators draw on FAO’s “Climate Change: Agrifood systems emissions – Emissions from Energy use in agriculture” statistics. The programme harmonises national energy balances, allocates fuels to agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and aquaculture, and reports annual consumption (terajoules) alongside CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O emissions (kilotonnes) from 1970 onwards.