Comparative analysis of carbon footprint of agricultural products supply chain based on life cycle

Currently, researches about rapid and healthy development of agricultural products circulation had drawn a great attention with the sustained growth of economy and upgrade of family consumption. Using the life cycle estimation, this paper constructed carbon measure and calculation models for all the steps of different circulation modes. Specifically, the carbon footprint of litchi supply chain was empirically analyzed from land-saving perspective. And it was found that the carbon footprint with normal temperature circulation was higher than that with cold chain circulation. Moreover, the difference of carbon footprints of the whole cold chain with different decay rates was also analyzed. The results showed that the carbon footprint of the whole cold chain circulation rised from 2 429.16 kg to 2 665.15 kg when the decay rate rised from 0 to 18%, and it was higher than that of the normal temperature circulation when the decay rate of the whole cold chain reached 18%.