I. History

Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, founded in 1976, is a comprehensive, multidisciplinary and nonprofit agricultural research institution directly subordinate to Yunnan Provincial Government and responsible for the research tasks concerning the overall, critical and strategic agricultural sci-tech issues of Yunnan Province. In the past 30 years since our inception, we have made great contributions for Yunnan’s agriculture and rural economic development, particularly for Yunnan’s major agricultural products to take the historic shift from chronic shortages to an overall balance with surpluses during good years, and the development of agricultural biological resources to become a pillar industry.

II. Organizational Structure

Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences consists of 12 departments (offices), 15 subordinate research institutes(Institute of Food Crops, Agricultural Environment & Resources Research Institute, Institute of Horticulture, Cash Crop Research Institute, Biotechnology & Genetic Germplasm Institute, Institute of Agricultural Economy & Information, Flower Research Institute, Quality Standard and Testing Technology Institute, Medicinal Plant Institute, Sugarcane Research Institute, Tea Research Institute, Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops, Alpine Economic Plant Research Institute, Tropical Eco-agriculture Institute, Sericulture and Apiculture Research Institute),2 experimental stations (Ruili Sugar Cane Experiment Station, Lemon Experiment Station and Hainan Nanfan Experiment Station) and 20 affiliated units (1 national engineering center, 4 ministerial testing center, 4 ministerial improvement sub-centers, 5 national crop resources nurseries, 2 specialized key laboratories of the Ministry of Agriculture and 10 scientific observation and experiment stations, 3 provincial key laboratories, 7 provincial engineering centers and 6 provincial improved variety breeding bases or centers).

III. Human Resources

We have a staff of 3,117 people, including 1,773 active employees, 1,275 holders of professional technical titles, 413 holders of senior professional and technical titles, 465 holders of intermediate professional and technical titles, 454 incumbent Master’s Degree or Doctorate holders, 80 provincial academic and technical leaders (backup talents) and technological innovation talents, 2 national agricultural science research and innovation teams and 7 provincial scientific and technological innovation teams. In our team of talents, two have been recognized as National Outstanding Agricultural Research Talents, one has won the First Yunnan Provincial Science and Technology Outstanding Contribution Award, two have been incorporated in the New Century National Hundred, Thousand and Ten Thousand Talent Project, and one has been listed among National Young and Middle-Aged Leading Scientists, Engineers and Innovators. In Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, 29 experts have been selected as post scientists of the national industrial technology system and directors of integrated experiment stations, 22 experts have been selected as chief scientists and post experts of the provincial industrial system, a post-doctoral workstation has been established with 10 post-doctors engaged in the research work, and 54 experts are concurrently acting as supervisors of Master and PhD candidates.

IV. Technological Innovation

In the past five years, we have secured 10 posts of scientists of the national modern agricultural industry technology system; the support for our 19 integrated experiment stations; an annual national scientific research fund of 16.5 million yuan, leading China’s provincial academies of agricultural sciences. We have been given 5 posts of chief scientists in the Yunnan provincial modern agricultural industry technology system, 22 posts of functional laboratory scientists and 14 posts of directors of functional laboratories in the industry technology system, accounting for 80 percent, 50 percent and 56 percent of the total corresponding posts of the provincial planting industry respectively. We have won 96 provincial awards for scientific and technological achievements. Of our 111 new varieties of crops approved (recognized) by the competent authorities at the provincial level or above, 48 have been registered. Three of our crop varieties have been selected as national leading varieties, and three technologies, national leading agricultural technologies; more than 3,300 articles and 67 monographs have been published.
According to the assessment results of the Ministry of Agriculture concerning the overall research capabilities of 1,058 independent agricultural research institutions above the prefectural level during the “11th Five-Year Plan” period, six of our research institutes were listed among top-100 national research institutes and the rankings of our 15 research institutes moved forward by 208 steps on average.

V. Transformation of Sci-Tech Achievements

- Focusing on building the science and technology service brand. Since 2009, we have been implementing the science and technology service project throughout the province, applying scientific and technological achievements to a cumulative area of 135 million mu, increasing the crop yields by 4 billion kilograms and raising the output value by 11.8 billion yuan.
- Providing high-quality guidance for the implementation of major technological measures in Yunnan’s grain production. Since 2009, we have provided technological guidance for the construction of 695 high-yield grain production zones, covering 6.95 million mu, which has guaranteed the smooth implementation of major technological measures in the grain production of our provinces.
- Providing efficient agricultural disaster and emergency services. We have made positive responses to attacks of pests and diseases (e.g. rice planthoppers), biological hazards (e.g. mile-a-minute weed) and natural disasters (e.g. droughts, storms, snows and frosts). Since 2010, our drought-fighting service groups have provided 16 prefectures (cities) with scientific services and guidance. So far, more than 70 drought-fighting technologies have been promoted, involving 3,000 technicians and covering a total area of nearly 20 million mu.
- Taking effective measures in targeted poverty alleviation. Since 2008, relying on our talent and technological advantages, focusing on the experiments and demonstrations of our improved crop varieties and training of practical agricultural technologies, and taking advantage of the industrial restructuring and new rural construction instructors, we have earnestly taken various targeted poverty alleviation efforts, which have been repeatedly commended by higher authorities.
- Making progress in the cooperation between research institutions and enterprises. In the forms of jointly building research and development centers, technological services and intellectual property licensing, we have cooperated with more than 100 competitive enterprises to better support the industrial development of the plateau agriculture.
- Establishing the agricultural information service platform. In 2005, we collaborated with Xinhua News Agency Yunnan Branch and China Mobile Yunnan Branch in establishing the platform of “Yunnan Rural Information Technology Poverty Alleviation and Agricultural Information Communication Expert Advisory Services” (or Sannong Information Communication), which has provided more than 8 million farmers with practical agricultural information for free.

VI. Infrastructure Construction

- The New Research and Office Building. Covering a floor area of 26,000 square meters and involving a total investment of more than 87 million yuan, it broke the ground in June 2009 and was officially put into use in 2013.
- The Sci-Tech Innovation Building. Approved in June 2012, covering a floor area of more than 30,000 square meters and involving a total investment of over 100 million yuan, it has started construction and is expected to be put into use in 2016.
- The Songming Modern Agricultural Research and Experiment Base. It officially started construction in 2010. When completed, it will cover an area of nearly 700 mu and consist of six functional zones and six centers. So far, initial results have been achieved in the construction of its supporting facilities.
- The Yunnan Agricultural Science and Technology Park. According to a strategic cooperation agreement signed in 2009, we will collaborate with Yuxi City People’s Government in building this agricultural science and technology park. So far, following the lease contract for 2,345 mu of land, 1,030 mu of land has been leased and 100 mu of land has been expropriated.

VII. Cooperation and Exchanges

In the past five years, we have established close relations with more than 40 countries and nearly 20 international organizations; over a dozen cross-border cooperation platforms like the “Greater Mekong Subregion Agricultural Science and Technology Exchange and Cooperation Group” and the “Yunnan-Southeast Asia Agricultural Training Center” have been established at our proposals; a number of national (provincial) intelligence introduction achievement demonstration and promotion bases have been set up; a series of our crop varieties have been introduced to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries; we have established the leadership in the agricultural sci-tech cooperation of the Greater Mekong Subregion, laying a solid foundation for Yunnan’s agricultural cooperation with other countries and regions.