This is the peer reviewed version of the following article:Bennetzen, E. H., Smith, P. and Porter, J. R. (2016), Decoupling of greenhouse gas emissions from global agricultural production: 1970–2050. Glob Change Biol, 22: 763–781, which has been published in final form at doi:10.1111/gcb.13120 This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.