Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences (SAAS) was founded in 1960 in Shanghai. For generations, our researchers have worked on the land along the coast of the East China Sea, contributing their insights and efforts in the service of sciences and innovations, enabling agricultural science and technology to flourish in Shanghai and around the country. 

About SAAS

SAAS currently has more than 800 employees, including over 700 professional and technical staff, as well as a postdoctoral workstation.  Our current research discipline covers 10 fields, including grain and oilseed crop germplasm innovation and application; germplasm enhancement and efficient cultivation of fruit trees and ornamentals; new variety development and efficient cultivation of horticultural crops; germplasm creation and industrialized production techniques for edible mushrooms; sustainable livestock and poultry farming and control of epidemic diseases; ecological agriculture and control of harmful organisms; theory of metropolitan agriculture and digital agricultural technology; innovation and application of efficient biotech breeding technology; quality and safety of agricultural products and preservation and processing technology of agricultural products; and preservation, evaluation, innovation and utilization of agricultural germplasm.

There are 7 academic journals and about 60 sci-tech platforms to promote innovations. Over the years, we have received recognition for over 2000 sci-tech achievements and more than 400 national, ministerial or municipal-level awards, of which 35 were first-class awards. As a comprehensive research institution, SAAS not only focuses on fundamental, experimental, applied, and high-tech agricultural research, as well as the commercialization of research achievements. It is an important regional pillar for the development of agriculture in Shanghai and China at large.

International exchange and collaboration

In this new era, innovation in agricultural science and technology calls for more close cooperation, nationally, internationally and across different disciplines.

SAAS has established long-term partnerships with world-class universities and research institutions in over 30 countries and regions across the globe. By organizing personnel exchanges and academic visits, holding international conferences, conducting joint research projects, and co-establishing research platforms, we are working hand-in-hand with these institutions to build Shanghai as a global hub for science and technology. In recent years, SAAS has pioneered new models for international cooperation and established multiple international research platforms, including the CIMMYT–China Specialty Maize Research Center, the China-Belgium Center of Reference Materials for Mycotoxins, and the China-Vietnam International Joint Laboratory for Agricultural Sciences, etc. 

It is through these various models of cooperation that SAAS is playing a proactive role to facilitate the internationalization of Shanghai’s urban modern green agriculture.

Our vision for the future

For many years, SAAS has made significant social and economic benefits by encouraging and enabling staff to join the ‘front line’ of agricultural production and rural development, to serve agricultural industry and the general public, and to explore efficient ways to commercialize research achievements of agricultural science and technology. 

Rooted in a tradition of promoting agriculture, rural areas, and farmers and cultivating agricultural talent, SAAS is forever at the forefront of innovation, driven by a mission to implement China’s rural revitalization strategy and transform China into an agricultural powerhouse.

Forging ahead, we will usher in a new era of the prosperity of agriculture and rural areas. As we embark on this new journey, we welcome you to join us!