Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU) is located in Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian, China. Renowned for its strengths in agricultural and forestry sciences as well as life sciences, it has cultivated a comprehensive academic ecosystem where disciplines such as science, engineering, economics, management, humanities, law, and art thrive in harmony.
This university is jointly established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the People's Government of Fujian Province, as well as by the National Forestry and Grassland Administration and the People's Government of Fujian Province. It sits at forefront of Fujian’s high-level university initiates, being part of the First-Class University Construction in the province, and is classified as a Class A university within Fujian Province's “Double First-Class” Project.
A Long-standing History
The university has a long and rich history. Its origins can be traced back to two predecessors: the Agricultural Department of Fujian Union University founded in 1936, which initiated a new era in the development of higher agricultural and forestry education in Fujian, and Fujian Provincial College of Agriculture established in 1940, one of the earliest independent higher agricultural and forestry institutions in southern China.
In 1952, these two entities merged, leading to the establishment of Fujian Agricultural College. Later, in the autumn of 1958, Fujian Forestry College was founded, emerging from the Forestry Department of Fujian Agricultural College. In 1994, Fujian Agricultural College was renamed Fujian Agricultural University. In October 2000, under the leadership of then-Fujian Governor Xi Jinping, Fujian Agricultural University and Fujian Forestry College merged to form the new university: Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University. Comrade Xi Jinping attended the inauguration, presented the school plaque, and delivered an important speech. He earnestly hoped that the university would further free mind, deepen reforms, and enter the forefront among similar institutions nationwide in terms of scale, quality, educational level, overall strength, and educational outcomes. He expected it to become “an educational base for cultivating innovative talents, a research base for knowledge innovation, a vanguard for key technological breakthroughs, and an incubator for high-tech industries.”
In the more than two decades since, the university has adhered to the educational tenet of “studying advanced agricultural academics and cultivating specialized talents” and embraced the spirit of its school motto of “Virtue, Sincerity, Wisdom, Erudition, and Innovation.” Bearing the trust and expectations in mind, it has taken root in Fujian, centered on agriculture, rural areas, and farmers, and continued to strive. It has achieved fruitful results in cultivating high-quality agricultural and forestry talents, conducting high-level scientific research, and providing highly efficient social services. It has realized the historical transformation from a single-discipline university to a multi-disciplinary one and from a local provincial university to a leading position among similar institutions nationwide, and has pioneered a new path for the leapfrog and connotative development of local agricultural and forestry institutions.
Featured Disciplines
Presently, the university features 12 first-level discipline doctoral programs and 4 professional doctoral programs. Additionally, it offers 28 first-level discipline master's programs and 22 professional master's programs. The university adheres to the “five-in-one” development strategy integrating disciplines, talent, platforms and bases, internationalization, and digitalization. It has established a “one-body-two-wings” disciplinary layout, with agricultural, forestry, and biology as the main body, and featured engineering disciplines and humanities and social sciences as the two wings. This has forged a development model that emphasizes agriculture, forestry, and life sciences, while promoting the integrated development of agriculture with engineering, science, humanities, and medicine.
In the new round of Fujian Province’s “Double First-Class” Project, three disciplines—Plant Protection, Forestry, and Ecology—have been designated as disciplines receiving key support. The development of the university's core agricultural and forestry disciplines such as plant protection and forestry, as well as its basic disciplines like biology, are being continuously strengthened. In the field of plant science, the university exerts significant international influence. Ten disciplinary fields have entered the top 1% of the ESI global ranking. Notably, Botany & Zoology and Agricultural Sciences have reached the top 1‰ of this ranking, ranked first among "Double Non-First-Class"agriculture and forestry universities in China.
In recent years, the university has significantly ramped up its efforts in interdisciplinary integration. It has vigorously promoted the development of emerging interdisciplinary fields such as bio-breeding, smart agriculture, biomedicine, and green food. Additionally, it has established eight self-initiated second-level disciplines outside the catalog, such as Agricultural Artificial Intelligence, and four interdisciplinary disciplines, such as Agricultural and Forestry Big Data Science and Engineering.
Achievements in Talent Nurturing
The university upholds a people-centered talent-cultivation philosophy, placing moral education at the forefront while also emphasizing practical abilities and all-round development. It integrates teaching and scientific research with practical work and social practice. The university is dedicated to nurturing high-caliber talents who excel in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor skills. These individuals not only possess profound knowledge in their perspective field and practical skills, but are also brimming with innovative spirit and capabilities, harboring a passion for agriculture, rural areas, and rural people.
The university consists of 23 secondary colleges. At present, it has an undergraduate enrollment of over 26,000 students and a postgraduate enrollment of 11,000 students. There are 84 undergraduate majors open for enrollment. Among these majors, 46 have been approved as national and provincial first-class undergraduate programs,9 have been approved as China Engineering Education Accreditation Certified Program accounting for 54.8% of the total undergraduate majors available for enrollment.
Focusing on national strategies and the development needs of Fujian's “Four Major Economies”, the university has steadily propelled the “Four New Areas” development empowered by digital, biotech and engineering innovations. It has established a future-oriented new talent-cultivation system for agriculture and forestry, prioritizing moral education and integrating five-dimensional education covering morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor skills, and is oriented towards the future. In recent years, the university has established seven distinct colleges, specifically the Future Technology College, the Rural Revitalization College, the Marine College, the Digital Economy College, the Juncao and Ecology College (Carbon Neutrality College), the Apiculture and Biomedicine College, and the FAFU-Dal Joint College. Additionally, it has added 16 new majors related to the “Four New Areas”, such as Smart Agriculture.
The university has continuously deepened teaching reforms. It has founded two national-level experimental teaching demonstration centers and two virtual teaching and research units authorized by the Ministry of Education. Nine majors have passed engineering education accreditation, and 300 national and provincial first-class undergraduate courses have been developed.
The university has triumphed in winning the “Superior Cup” in the “Challenge Cup” and “Youth Innovation” competitions seven times. It has been designated by the Ministry of Education as one of the initial top 50 universities for innovation and entrepreneurship, one of the initial national innovation and entrepreneurship colleges, and a national innovation and entrepreneurship practice base.
The university has educated and delivered over 300,000 outstanding graduates for the nation. Among them are numerous academic luminaries and successful entrepreneurs, including Yan Jiaxian, the pioneer of modern agricultural education; Li Lairong, the renowned horticulturist; Lu Haoran and Zhou Keyong, the prominent agronomists; Zhao Xiufu, the famous entomologist; Zhang Jianguo, who laid the groundwork for the forestry economics discipline; Academician Xie Lianhui, a leading figure in plant virology; Academician Xie Hua'an, known as the “Mother of Hybrid Rice”; and Yu Xintuo, known as the “Father of Chinese Fir”.
Throughout its long history in education, the university has crystallized the “Five-Trait Spirit” unique to agriculture and forestry. Represented by the perseverance of plowing oxen, eagerness of racing horses, industriousness of bees, toughness of pine trees, and dedication of grass, this spirit is precious asset for cultivating top-notch agro-forestry students.
A Strong Faculty Team
The university is committed to the “talent-driven university development” strategy and has been vigorously implementing the “Double-Hundred Plan” which involves recruiting 100 new talents and promoting 100 existing ones, with the goal to build a talent highland in the agriculture and forestry sectors.
Right now, there are 547 high-level talents at the provincial level and above (totaling 933 person-times). Among them, 84 are national-level talents (165 person-times), ranking among the top in provincial universities. Among these national-level talents, there are two members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, one member of the Canadian Academy of Engineering, four members of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, 13 “Yangtze River Scholars” appointed by the Ministry of Education, 11 winners of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, 18 included in the National High-level Personnel of Special Support Program, 15 recipients of the National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars, 8 young and middle-aged experts with significant contributions to the country, and 13 selected for “National Hundred, Thousand and Ten Thousand Talents Program”.
The university has 2 national-level teaching teams, 2 “Huang Danian-style teacher teams” in national universities, 1 innovation team of the Ministry of Education, 2 innovation teams under the “Innovative Talent Promotion Program” of the Ministry of Science and Technology, 2 innovation teams of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, and 3 scientific and technological innovation teams of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. The university has been selected as a national demonstration base for nurturing innovative talents, and 2 of its bases have been incorporated in the national “111 Plan”. The university has seen the emergence of numerous outstanding individuals. Among them are representatives of the 19th and 20th National Congresses of the Communist Party of China, representatives of the National People's Congress, individuals honored as “Person(s) Who Touched China”, the nation’s most remarkable teachers, national model teachers, national outstanding teachers, national “March 8th” Red-Banner Bearers, and “Eight Min Models”.
Distinguished Research Teams
The university adheres to the “Four Orientations” and centered on national strategies and the key needs of regional development. It has formed a “trinity” scientific and technological innovation chain that integrates platforms, projects, and achievements, and in turn, has developed distinct characteristics and leading advantages in basic biological research fields such as plant viruses, crop genomics, bees, orchids, Chinese fir, rice, Large Yellow Croaker and sugarcane, along with applied research areas like Juncao (mushroom grass) technology, agricultural and forestry biosecurity, pest ecological prevention and control, marine food processing, ecological governance, biomass utilization and the reform of collective forest tenure systems.
The university has built over 10 top-notch innovation platforms on its campus. These include the Cross-Straits United Research Institute, the Cross-Straits Institute of Ecological and Environmental Engineering, the Institute of Oceanography, and the Institute of the Concept of a Grand Food Strategy, all from a high starting point. At present, the university has eight national-level scientific and technological innovation platforms and 41 ministerial-level scientific and technological innovation platforms.
The national-level platforms include one State Key Laboratory jointly established by the province and the ministry, one National Key Laboratory (jointly established), two National Engineering Technology Research Centers, two “2011 Collaborative Innovation Centers” jointly established by the province and the ministry, and two National-local Joint Engineering Laboratories.
In addition, it has established four Key Laboratories (Engineering Research Centers) under the Ministry of Education, one International Cooperative Joint Laboratory of the Ministry of Education, one Regional and National Studies Center of the Ministry of Education, 14 Key Laboratories (R&D Centers, Experimental Stations, Branch Centers) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, 11 Key Laboratories (Engineering Technology Research Centers, Research Centers, Research Bases) of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, and one Engineering Technology Innovation Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources.
Notably, the university has won 35 science and technology national awards, including the First-class National Science and Technology Progress Award, ranking first among Fujian-affiliated universities. In the fields of genomics of agricultural and forestry crops and basic botanical research, it has produced a series of landmark research results. For example, it has decoded the genomes of sugarcane, longan, pineapple, tetraploid cultivated peanut, orchid, water lily, Phoebe bournei, Erianthus arundinaceus, papaya, Fuzhou single-petal jasmine and double-petal jasmine, and hexaploid Dendrocalamus latiflorus. Moreover, the university, as the affiliated institution of the first-author or the corresponding-author, has published 18 high-impact papers in the three top-tier international journals, Science, Nature, and Cell, ranking first among universities affiliated with Fujian Province in terms of the number of publications.
Outstanding Service Impact
The university was the first to create the Juncao technology. This innovative technology has been disseminated to 106 countries and regions around the world. It has emerged as a remarkable emblem representing Fujian Province and even China's foreign assistance in agricultural science and technology. Significantly, it has made substantial contributions to the global effort of poverty alleviation. In September 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the International Forum on the 20th Anniversary of Juncao Technology Assistance Abroad and Facilitating Sustainable Development, fully recognizing the remarkable work of the university in Juncao technology.
The university is actively forging an agricultural science and technology promotion and service model that seamlessly integrates production, education, and research. It has established a national new rural development research institute and set up entities such as the Rural Revitalization Research Institute and the Cross-Straits Seed Industry Innovation Research Institute. In collaboration with local governments, it has jointly established 11 local industrial research institutes and 10 county-level rural revitalization research institutes. Moreover, it has established 75 science and technology courtyards in 53 counties across the province, which accounts for 91% of the total number in the province. This has provided robust support for the development of Fujian's agricultural industry and rural revitalization initiatives.
The new varieties of sugarcane, jute, Chinese fir, sweet potato, peanut, tea, vegetables, flowers, etc. developed by the university, along with the practical technical achievements, have been widely promoted and now cover the major productions areas throughout the country. Notably, the university took the lead in formulating two international standards for oolong tea and white tea, making a significant milestone in China's international standardization effort for tea products.
The university keeps deepening its work on science and technology commissioners. Over the past five years, it has dispatched a total of over 2,500 science and technology commissioners and more than 600 commissioner teams, leading all provincial universities in this regard. It has promoted more than 2,000 “five new technologies” achievements in agriculture, served and egaged with over 70 counties (districts) and more than 1000 villages across the province, achieving remarkable results in supporting the characteristic industries of counties. Additionally, it has undertaken the “Leading Geese” project for cultivating leaders in rural industrial revitalization, and training a total of over 1,000 students.
The university has built a strong reputation in targeted poverty alleviation assistance and service. It has offered services to over a dozen provinces and autonomous regions, including Ningxia and Gansu. Its scientific and technological support has proven highly effective in poverty alleviation efforts. For example, it has contributed to soil erosion control in Changting through the Fujian-Ningxia cooperation and the promotion of the “Four Ones” forest and grass project in Guyuan. Two of the university’s projects have been selected as typical cases of targeted poverty alleviation and precise poverty reduction among provincial-affiliated universities by the Ministry of Education. 4 poverty alleviation cases have been recognized as “Best Global Practices in Poverty Reduction”, and 2 of its teachers has been awarded the National Poverty Alleviation Award for Dedication and been named a National Advanced Individual in Poverty Alleviation.
Global Engagement
The university is officially accredited by the Ministry of Education to host international students under the Chinese Government Scholarships program, currently enrolling over 160 degree-seeking international students from 40 countries.
In 2013, it co-founded the Confucius Institute at Durban University of Technology in South Africa, which has since trained more than 10,000 learners and rated as a “Global Advanced Confucius Institute” and approved to build a “Global Model Confucius Institute”. In August 2023, President Xi Jinping commended the institution’s decade-long achievements in a letter to its faculty and students.
The university has established cooperative partnerships with over 100 higher education institutions across more than 30 countries and regions worldwide, currently operates one non-independent legal entity for Sino-foreign cooperative education—the FAFU-Dal Joint College, alongside five Sino-foreign cooperative education programs. It has established over 20 joint student cultivating and exchange programs with renowned foreign universities.
In implementing the central government's strategic deployment to support Fujian in exploring integrated cross-Strait development, the university has taken the lead in pilot initiatives to explore new paths for Fujian-Taiwan agricultural science and education integration. It became the first institution to independently recruit students separately from the Taiwan region, offering three"4+0" Fujian-Taiwan cooperative education majors in collaboration with leading Taiwanese universities. Additionally, it has co-established 22 innovation platforms with Taiwanese universities and research institutions, consecutively enrolled 449 farmers through distance education programs for 17 years in partnership with Taiwan agricultural industry associations, and secured approval for education exchange programs with Taiwan from the Ministry of Education and the Taiwan Affairs Office.
The university currently comprises four campuses: Jinshan Campus, Qishan Campus, Anxi Campus, and Nanping Base. The main campus occupies over 4,900 mu, complemented by 200 mu of science and education bases and 55,000 mu of teaching forestry farms. Its library houses 3.34 million printed volumes (including bound journals) and 3.51 million e-books (including e-journals). The university has been awarded the National Civilized Unit title for three consecutive terms and named a National Civilized Campus in 2020.
In the new era, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University will adopt moral-oriented education as its cornerstone, and agricultural and rural revitalization as its mission. By strengthening academic excellence, driving institutional reforms and innovation, and pursuing holistic high-quality development, the university aims to nurture a new generation of agricultural talents with expertise and rural commitment, pioneer cutting-edge agricultural technologies, and accelerate its development into a first-class national university with distinct agro-forestry characteristics. The university strives to establish itself as “an educational base for cultivating innovative talents, a research base for knowledge innovation, a vanguard for key technological breakthroughs, and an incubator for high-tech industries”. These efforts will make pivotal contribution to advancing agricultural/rural modernization, building a strong agricultural nation, and shaping Fujian's role in China's modernization process.
(Data as of March 2025)