A comprehensive inventory of land-use and agricultural emissions was published in Nature (January 2021) and highlighted that agricultural activities contributed 25% to the total anthropogenic GHG emissions throughout the period of 2001-2017, driven by rising emissions per land area. Using time series data on population, agricultural production, land area and emissions, the authors revealed the following: 

1. There is a huge distinction among geographical regions in terms of global emissions. The highest emitting nations are the poorer regions of Southeast Asia, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa; linked to agricultural land expansion. The more affluent Global North including North America, Europe and Oceania showed negative land use change emissions but agricultural emissions are substantial and flat. East Asia, South Asia and the Middle East, termed by the authors as emerging markets, produced less land use change emissions, however, its agricultural emissions are strongly increasing in line with population expansion. 
2. Land use change to cropland represents 70% of global net emissions among agricultural processes over the period of 1961-2017. 
3. Cereals (including rice) has the highest global emissions among agricultural products over the same period of 1961-2017, followed by beef. These two products contributed 71% of global net emissions. Wood has the third highest emissions up until 2008, after which oil crops took over its spot as the third highest emittor.  
4. The emissions per calorie of beef and other red meats such as buffalo, sheep and goat are 30 times greater than the average intensity of other products. These red meats supplies only 1% of calories produced globally, but are responsible for 25% of the global land use emissions.
5. On the other hand, although oil crops are the second largest behind cereals in terms of agricultural production and production per capita, it has one of the lowest land intensity (expressed in ha per calorie) and emissions intensity (expressed in emissions per calorie). 
6. A shift in red meat consumption was observed. Beef production increased much less than white meat such as chicken and pork throughout the period of 1961-2017 and resulted in reduction of 44% of emissions per capita and 14% of land use emissions per capita. 
7. A detailed analysis comparing oil crop among regions showed that the largest land use change emissions came from Latin America & Caribean region (Figure 1), corresponding to the land clearing for planting of soy particularly in the Amazon and Argentina (Figure 2)
8. There are plenty of opportunities to mitigate agricultural emissions highlighted in the paper including yield improvements, better soil and livestock waste management practices, dietary changes and most importantly reducing food waste.