Inter-annual variation patterns in the carbon footprint of farmland ecosystems in Guangdong Province, China

Carbon sequestration in farmland ecosystems is an important link in the world carbon cycle and plays an important role in regional carbon reduction. Guangdong, a major industrial and economic province in China, was used as the study area, and the period 2001–2020 was taken as the study period. The carbon emissions, sequestration, and footprint of farmland ecosystems in Guangdong were estimated using carbon emission factors for agricultural inputs that are closer to the actual situation in China. The study showed that: (1) Carbon average emissions from farmland in Guangdong during the study period was 3.7624 million t a(−1), with a balanced overall trend of change, and that nitrogen fertilize applications was the main factor contributing to carbon emissions. (2) The carbon sink capacity of Guangdong farmland ecosystems showed an overall decreasing trend of 10.32%, with an average annual carbon sink of 19.0363 million t a(−1). Paddy and sugar cane cultivations were the main factor of carbon sink in farmland. (3) The average annual carbon footprint of Guangdong's farmland ecosystems was 531,100 ha a(−1), which was in a carbon surplus. Carbon surplus and footprint showed a decreasing trend year by year. The paper results provide a theoretical basis for the formulation of carbon emission reduction policies and industrial restructuring in Guangdong and provinces with the same industrial structure.