The study analyzes the funding and sources of funding in China's public agricultural research system and their variations among regions after the recent reform.The results show that the overall government investment in agricultural research has increased significantly in all levels of institutes,particular those at the national and provincial level.However,the study also reveals that the share of the competitive grants has been rising to the level that will negatively affect the long-term strategic plan of research institutes.There is great room to improve the distribution of research funding between regions and among agricultural commodities so that a more balanced agricultural growth can be achieved.