The Third International Symposium on Sustainable Agriculture for Subtropical Regions(ISSISR) was successfully held in Changsha on the 18th-21st October 2015. This symposium jointly organized by Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Science(ISA) and University of Western Australia, Australia. More than 100 experts all over the world from different institutes, universities and enterprises assembled for symposium.

Three topics: food safety in the Asia - Pacific region in 21st century, agriculture innovation and productivity improvement and the relationship between agriculture, environment and climate change were warmly discussed. Participants share their opinions on the latest development, the main problems and countermeasures of the current research around the three topics.

In the opening ceremony, Huang Qiping, director of the Agricultural Commission of Hunan Province, introduced the history of Hunan agriculture?current situation and its future. Then, Anna Somerville, the agricultural policy counsellor of Australian Embassy in Beijing gave a report named Food Supply Chains - Linking Australia and the Asia-Pacific Region and John Dixon, the chief consultant of International Agricultural Research Center in Australia also delivered a speech about New Farming Systems: Drivers and Diversity. Reports named Gran-saving & Environ Protective Breeding Technology In Pigs?Looking into the Future of Grain Production in China were given by domestic experts Yin Yulong from ISA and Zhang Jiabao from Nanjing Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Furthermore, twelve outstanding representatives won awards in the closing ceremony.

After the symposium, participants visited Changsha Research Station for Agricultural Environment Observation. Prof. WU Jinshui of ISA systematically introduced the basic orientation and goals of the station, the progress of in-situ long-term field experiment and circular agricultural project of the core test area, "myriophyllum elatinoides eco-wetland as the core technique"for the governance model of rural livestock wastewater and sewage. WU also took visitors for a site inspection of rural sewage and livestock wastewater ecological treatment technology demonstration projects in Xifu village.

This symposium will promote the sustainable development of agricultural ecological environment in Hunan. It will also better push the scientific and technological cooperation between Hunan province and the relevant countries and regions, making cooperation more effective and more pragmatic in wider and deeper area.