Abstract: A concise analysis of the ecological, agricultural, economic and social characteristics of western China areas was presented. And the background of the recent national strategy of large-scaled develop-ment of western China was also reviewed. After exploring the requirements of agricultural science and technclogy, in particular agro-engineering that is caused by such a development campaign, five key fields of agro-engineering, as well as their technical contents, were proposed to reinforce the research and development, as soon as possible.