The Agricultural Standard "Climate-smart Agriculture (CSA): Soil Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission Reduction Monitoring and Accounting Guidelines for Crop Production" (NY/T 4300-2023) (hereinafter referred to as "The Standard"), led and developed by Prof. Ligang Wang from the Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning (IARRP) of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), came into effect on 1 June 2023.

The CSA is a new concept and model of agricultural development in response to global climate change. Following the concept of CSA, it is of great importance to scientifically and accurately evaluate the soil carbon sequestration and GHG emission reduction effects of CSA, and develop the monitoring and accounting guidelines for CSA production, which plays a crucial role in promoting "stable grain productivity, increased income, and soil carbon sequestration and GHG emission reduction" for agricultural production in China. Prof. Wang led and developed The Standard based on international monitoring and accounting methods for soil carbon sequestration and GHG emission reduction of CSA as well as CSA practices in China.

The Standard stipulates the relevant terms and definitions, monitoring content and accounting processes, scenario recognition and boundary determination, accounting methods, data quality assurances and control for the monitoring and accounting of soil carbon sequestration and GHG emission reduction in climate smart crop production. It is applicable to the accounting of soil carbon sequestration and GHG emission reduction in climate smart crop production. The development and release of The Standard will provide an important basis and methodological support for the quantitative evaluation of soil carbon sequestration and GHG emission reduction effects in climate smart crop production, and serve as a technical guidance for ensuring national food security, mitigating the impact of climate change on agricultural production, and achieving the national "dual carbon"  goals.

The Standard was proposed and managed by the Department of Science, Technology and Education of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, led and developed by the IARRP CAAS. Main institutions involved in the standard development include the Rural Energy And Environment Agency, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, China Agricultural University, and the Institute of Crop Science of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.