The ICARDC Network was established in 1989 and since then has organized many well-visited international conferences in and outside of China. ICARDC has led to numerous publications on the multi-faceted aspects of China’s agricultural and rural development. ICARDC currently has close to 400 members, and also hosts a mailing list with news about events, publications, vacancies, and projects. ICARDC was formerly known as ECARDC or the European Conference on Agriculture and Rural Development in China. At the 12^th bi-annual conference in Tianjin, its name was changed to ICARDC (International Conference on Agriculture and Rural Development in China) to reflect the growing international importance of Chinese agriculture and rural development.