中国科学院地理研究所于1958年组建农业地理研究组，1983年改为农业地理研究室。2005年成立中国科学院地理科学与资源研究所区域农业与农村发展研究中心（CRARD），2006年依托该中心成立农业地理与乡村发展研究室，对外开展科学研究、技术研发、战略咨询和人才培养。现有正式职工15人、项目聘用及研究生25名，招收城乡发展与土地利用、土地资源与工程、乡村地域系统与乡村振兴方向博士、硕士研究生及博士后。挂靠中心的机构有“国际地理联合会农业地理与土地工程委员会”（IGU-AGLE）、“一带一路减贫与发展联盟”（ANSO-APRD）、“自然资源部退化及未利用土地整治工程重点实验室”、“中科院地理资源所土地利用规划研究中心”（国家甲级资质）、“中科院地理资源所土地利用工程研究基地（富平）”、“黄土高原治沟造地与土地持续利用观测研究站（延安）”、“现代农业双优工程试验站（榆林）”、“空心村综合整治关键技术研究与集成示范基地（禹城）”、“中国精准扶贫与县域发展研究示范基地（阜平）”、“中国现代农业与乡村振兴研究示范基地（洋县）”、Sino–Swedish Center for Urban–Rural Transformation Development、China Center for European Research Council GLOBAL-RURAL Project。
中心发展定位：
发展农业与乡村地理学，面向区域农业、乡村发展、新型城镇化与乡村振兴等国家战略，重点研究解决“三农”问题尤其是农业农村现代化与农业安全、乡村转型发展与土地利用、空心村整治与新农村建设、城乡发展转型与城乡一体化、精准扶贫与乡村振兴的科学研究，着力发展乡村地域系统理论、人地系统科学，深入推进现代乡村科学创新、国家战略咨询、国际学术交流与专业人才培养基地建设。
主要研究领域：
（1）城乡发展转型格局与动力机制 （2）农村空心化机理与空心村整治
（3）乡村地域系统理论与乡村科学 （4）农业地域类型与现代农业区划
（5）农村土地整治与乡村地理工程 （6）统筹城乡发展与乡村空间重构
（7）农村发展动力机制与精准扶贫 （8）新型城镇化、村镇化与乡村振兴
8Overview
In 1958, research group of agricultural geography in the Institute of Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), was established. In 1983, the research group was changed into Laboratory of Agricultural Geography. In 2005, the Center for Regional Agriculture and Rural Development (CRARD) was established and then the Department of Agricultural Geography and Rural Development (AGRD) was founded in 2006 based on this center. CRARD focuses on scientific research, strategic consulting, and personnel training. It currently has 15 regular staffs, and 25 project-employed research fellows and postgraduates. This center also fosters postgraduates and postdoctoral fellows in the fields of rural development and land use, urban–rural coordinated development, land resources and engineering. Organizations affiliated to CRARD include International Geographical Union Commission on Agricultural Geography and Land Engineering (IGU-AGLE), Center for Assessment and Research on Targeted Poverty Alleviation, CAS, the Laboratory of Degraded and Unused Land Consolidation, Ministry of Natural Resources, the Center for Land Use Planning (National First-Class Qualification), the Research Station for Land-Use Engineering (Fuping, China), the Observation and Research Station for ‘Gully to Farmland’ and Sustainable Land-Use on the Loess Plateau (Yan’an, China), the Experimental Station on Optimization Engineering of Modern Agriculture (Yulin, China), the Demonstration and Training Station for the Integration of Key Technologies for the Reclamation of Hollowed Village (Yucheng, China), the Demonstration Station for Chinese Targeted Poverty Alleviation and County Development in China (Fuping, China), the Demonstration Station for China’s Modern Agricultural Development and Rural Vitalization (Yang County, China), the Sino–Swedish Center for Urban–Rural Transformation Development, and the China Center for European Research Council GLOBAL–RURAL Project.
Objectives: The objectives of the Center are to develop the disciplines of regional agriculture and rural geography as well as to establish a research, consulting, international academic exchange and personnel training base that rural regional system theory, human-land system sciences and the national strategy on regional agriculture, rural development, new-type urbanization and rural vitalization. In addition, the center addresses issues relevant to ‘agriculture, rural area, and farmers’, with particular focus on the modernization of agriculture and agricultural safety, rural transformation and sustainable land use, land consolidation in hollowed villages, new methods for countryside construction, the urban–rural transformation, urban–rural integration, targeted poverty alleviation and rural vitalization.
Research fields: (1) Patterns and dynamic mechanisms governing urban–rural transformation
(2) Rural hollowing mechanisms and the hollowed-village consolidation
(3) Multi-functionality of the rural regional system and rural sciences
(4) Patterns of agricultural regional type and modern agriculture regionalization
(5) Rural land consolidation technology and rural geography engineering
(6) Urban–rural coordination development and the rural spatial restructuring
(7) Dynamic mechanisms of rural development and targeted poverty alleviation
(8) New-type urbanization, ruralization and rural vitalization in the new era
