The Hunan Academy of Agricultural Sciences (HUNAAS) – 湖南省农业科学院 was founded in 1964 and serves as a key provincial agricultural research institution. The academy oversees 21 research institutes and two research support institutions, including the Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center, Hunan Rice Research Institute, Hunan Soil and Fertilizer Institute, Hunan Institute of Agricultural Environment and Ecology, Hunan Vegetable Research Institute, Hunan Agricultural Products Processing Institute, Hunan Institute of Agricultural Information and Engineering, Hunan Horticultural Research Institute, Crop Research Institute of Hunan Province, Hunan Tea Research Institute, Hunan Institute of Agricultural Economy and Agricultural Regionalization, Hunan Institute of Plant Protection, Hunan Institute of Nuclear Agronomy and Space Breeding, Hunan Agricultural Equipment Research Institute, and Hunan Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute. Following an institutional reform in September 2024, six additional institutes were incorporated: the Hunan Institute of Microbiology, Hunan Cotton Research Institute, Sericultural Research Institute of Hunan Province, Hunan Institute of Animal and Veterinary Science, Hunan Aquatic Products Research Institute, and Hunan Aquatic Products Seed Stock Station.
The academy has a staff of 1,700 employees and collaborates with Hunan University to operate the Longping Branch, Graduate School of Hunan University—named after Yuan Longping, the “father of Chinese hybrid rice.” Several academic societies are affiliated with the academy, including the Hunan Province Association of Agricultural Science Societies, Hunan Society of Aquatic Products, Hunan Society of Horticultural Science, Hunan Society of Plant Protection, Hunan Society of Food Science and Technology, and the Hunan Pepper Branch of the Chinese Society of Horticultural Science.
In 2022, the State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice was established at HUNAAS, becoming one of the first 20 state key laboratories in China and one of only four dedicated to agriculture. The academy currently operates 91 national, provincial, and ministerial-level innovation platforms, including the National Center of Technology Innovation for Saline-Alkali Tolerant Rice, State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, China National Hybrid Rice R&D Center, National Engineering Research Center of Rice (Changsha), and the National and Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for the Comprehensive Utilization of Citrus Resources. Additionally, Hunaas hosts one academician workstation, one postdoctoral research workstation, 10 innovative research bases for academician teams, 49 field experiment stations and demonstration bases, and more than 200 professional demonstration sites.
More information (in Chinese): http://www.hunaas.cn
