Want to post a news? The Zhejiang Academy of Agricultural Sciences (ZAAS) is a comprehensive agricultural research institution directly affiliated with the Zhejiang provincial government. Established in 1908, ZAAS is one of the first of its kind in the country, and is also the only agricultural academy visited by both Premier Zhou Enlai and Chairman Mao Zedong. It was in 2003 that the then Secretary of Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, Xi Jinping, pointed out during his inspection that ZAAS is 'a scientific institution as well as an agricultural institution' and 'shoulders the significant responsibility of invigorating the province and driving its agriculture through science and technology,' hence clarifying the fundamental 'dual position' and 'two major responsibilities' of ZAAS.It has 18 research institutes whose research scatters through 139 research orientations of 28 disciplinary areas. With 3 disciplinary fields, namely agricultural sciences, plant & animal science, and environmentecology entering the top 1% of global ESI rankings, ZAAS has become one of the leading provincial agricultural academies in the country. It also harbors 49 national and provincial research platforms, including 2 state-level platforms, i.e., the State Key Laboratory for Managing Biotic and Chemical Threats to the Quality and Safety of Agro-products, and the National and Local Joint Engineering Center for Ornamental Crop Resources Development. The only Zhejiang provincial laboratory of agriculture, Xianghu Laboratory, was established by ZAAS.ZAAS is now home to 1106 employees, among whom 953 are scientists and technicians, 474 hold senior professional titles and 561 have a doctorate. 179 staff members from ZAAS have been included in the national or provincial talent programs. Currently, at ZAAS there is 1 academician, 6 distinguished experts of the province, 1 recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, and many scientists in the national and provincial talent programs. ZAAS has been recognized by the provincial government for its work in overseas personnel recruitment and talent development programs.ZAAS has never stopped making contributions to the modernization of Zhejiang's agricultural sector in various historical periods. Take the rice cultivar ‘Yuanfengzao,’ which had been released by ZAAS, won the first prize for the National Invention Award as one of the three dominant rice cultivars in the country at that time. Since the reform and opening-up of China in 1978, 591 research outcomes of ZAAS won prizes at the national or provincial level, and 27 research achievements with ZAAS as coordinator won national prizes, including a first-prize of the National Award for Technological Invention, one first-prize of the National Progress Award in Science and Technology. 45 outcomes of ZAAS won first prizes at the ministerial and provincial level. 784 new plant and animal cultivars released from ZAAS were approved by the ministerial or provincial government. For 20 consecutive years, ZAAS has been recognized by the state council for sending the largest number of scientific commissioners to the province, and ZAAS has been awarded the honorable title of a model institution of the country in poverty alleviation.