Agricultural research and extension services in China

China's agricultural extension service has been merged with the research system to assure that research focuses on practical problems and that extension programmes are informed by scientific research. A complex network of research and experimentation stations has been established, with sophisticated research centres at the national and provincial level, coordination at commune and county level, and research groups at team and brigade level. This research and extension system has developed distinctive techniques for improving productivity, including fast-maturing grains suitable for multiple-cropping systems, advanced methods of tissue culture, and methods of utilizing biological processes for plant protection.