Agricultural science and technology parks initiated in China

Agricultural S&T parks (ASTPs) constitute the bases for demonstrating modern agricultural practice engaged in intensive production and commercial operations with S&T achievements as their pillars and agricultural infrastructures as the mainstay. The emergence of ASTPs is a new economic phenomenon during the past decade, and among the 400-plus such parks, 36 are State ASTPs set up with the approval of the State Council. These ASTPs have created a benign environmental condition for the advance of agricultural science and technology in China and for the development of new- and high-tech-based industries in the agricultural sector, and accordingly, they have played an important role in promoting modern agriculture, in enlivening rural economy, in increasing the income of farmers, and in restructuring agriculture.\nBased on a study of State ASTPs, this paper attempts to make a systematic study of the history and current status of ASTPs and a study of policy issues related to their spatial distribution, characteristics of operation, and innovations in their development.