建国以来尤其是改革开放以来，中国农业经济获得了快速发展，基本解决了国家的民生问题。但是，农业经济的增长方式是以耗竭资源、牺牲环境为代价，一直沿用的农业发展模式带来的农村资源、生态和环境问题，已经严重威胁到农村的可持续发展，也威胁到我国可持续发展战略的实施，农业产业亟待转变发展方式。循环经济指出了一条崭新的农业发展道路，中国发展农业循环经济势在必行。“农业循环经济的基本理论”系统构建了农业循环经济理论框架，指出经济学和生态学是农业循环经济的实践基础，而系统论是农业循环经济的理论基础。在此基础上对农业循环经济内涵进行了界定。农业循环经济是将循环经济理念应用于农业经济过程，是在可持续发展思想指导下，遵照生态学和经济学规律，调整现有农业经济系统的发展方向，将其按照自然生态系统物质循环和能量流动规律逐步重新构建，从而使农业发展过程和谐地纳入到自然生态系统的物质循环过程中，使减量化、再利用、再循环、无害化成为农业经济活动的行为准则，进而形成生态、高效、绿色、立体的农业经济体系。此外，讨论了农业循环经济的特征和原则，并论述了农业发展循环经济的有利条件、约束、指导思想和目标。这些问题的系统研究丰富、完善了农业循环经济的理论内容。“中国农业循环经济模式和案例研究”一章是实证研究。为了对农业循环经济有更加直观、深入的了解，笔者分别到不同地区进行典型地区调研，并阅读了大量文献资料。在此基础上将农业循环经济类型概括为三种模式——小循环、中循环和大循环。此外，通过实地调研，作者提出了发展农业循环经济过程中的两个障碍因素：农业结构和经济主体的利益。 “农业循环经济评价指标体系及应用”构建了评价农业循环经济的指标体系。根据农业循环经济的内涵、系统组成要素结构和特点分析以及评价指标体系设置的原则，农业循环经济的评价指标体系涵盖了农业资源利用效率、农业废弃物资源化、农业环境和农村发展四个大的方面共计16项指标。在此基础上，以河北省正定县和江西省赣州市章贡区为例，运用指标体系对其近6年的农业循环经济发展状况进行评价。“发展农业循环经济的政策设计”提出了政策设计的几点原则：发展农业循环经济必须与解决“三农”问题结合起来；制定农业循环经济发展促进政策不能“一刀切”；要建立农业循环经济发展的长效机制；积极稳妥推进农业市场化改革。在此基础上，针对第三章提出的发展农业循环经济的障碍因素，作者认为：政府在调整农业结构方面应该做到加大农业和农村基础设施的投入力度、对农村土地产权制度进行创新，同时要积极培育中介组织；在政府和市场角色定位上，政府应按照“有所为、有所不为”的原则，加强自身公共职能建设。

The agricultural economy of China has developed rapidly since 1949, especially since the reformation and opening of China. The issues of Chinese living cost have been solved basically. However, the growth of agricultural economy is at the cost of depletion of resources and sacrifice of environments. The agricultural development pattern that has been used all along causes the countryside resources, ecology and environment problems which have badly threaten countryside sustainable development, and have intimidated the implementation of sustainable development strategy. Therefore, it is desiderated for the agricultural industry to change the development mode. A brand-new agricultural development path is Circular Economy, and developing the agricultural circular economy in China is imperative.“The elementary theory of circular economy in agriculture” constructs the theory framework of circular economic in agriculture. It indicates that the Economics and the Ecology are practical foundations of the circular economy in agriculture, while the system theory is rationale of circular economy in agriculture. Hereby the connotation of circular economy in agriculture is defined. Circular economy in agriculture is a process applying circular economy into agricultural economy. Under the guidance of the sustainable development ideology and conforming to the principles of Ecology and Economics, circular economy in agriculture adjusts the development direction of existing agricultural economy system, reconstructs it gradually in term of the criteria of materials circulation and energy flow in the natural ecosystem, thus integrates the agricultural development process to materials circulation of the natural ecosystem harmoniously. As a result, the reducing, reusing, recycling and innocuity becomes the standard of agricultural economy activity, then the agricultural economy system with the characteristic of ecology, highly effective, green, tridimensional can be established. In addition, the characteristics and the principles of circular economy in agriculture are discussed, and the advantages, the restraints, the guiding principles and the goals of circular economy in agriculture are elaborated. The systematic studies on these problems bring to completion of the theory of circular economy in agriculture.“The type and case study on Chinese circular economy in agriculture” is empirical study. To have intuitive and thorough understanding on circular economy in agriculture, the author arrived at different areas to carry on the typical local investigation and study separately, and have read massive literatures. Based on these results, the author proposes that the type of circular economic in agriculture can be categorized to three patterns: small circulation, middling circulation and big circulation. Moreover, through field studies, the author proposes that agricultural structure and people’s benefits are two factors that interferes the development of circular economy in agriculture.“Evaluating indicator system and application of circular economy in agriculture” constructs the indices to appraise circular economy in agriculture. Based on the connotation, the structure and the characteristic of circular economy in agriculture, as well as the establishment principle of evaluating indicator system, the proposed evaluating system includes total 16 indices covering four main aspects, i.e. the efficiency of utilizing agricultural resource, agricultural reject converting into resources, the agricultural environment and the rural development. Furthermore, the author uses the evaluating system to assess two real systems: Zhengding, Hebei Province and Zhanggong District, Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province. Their development statuses of circular economy in agriculture for the last six years are fully evaluated. “Policy design on developing circular economy in agriculture” puts forward several principles: developing circular economy in agriculture must be banded together with the solution of “three agriculture” problems; the stimulative policy of development on circular economy in agriculture cannot be completely consistent; the persistent mechanism of development on circular economy in agriculture needs to be established; the agriculture marketability reform should be carried through positively and safely. Based on the previous principles, and considering the two factors which interferes the development of circular economy in agriculture proposed in the third chapter, the author suggests that the government should adopt the following measurements: enlarging investment on agriculture and countryside infrastructure condition to adjust agriculture structure; carrying on the innovation to the countryside land property system; actively cultivating the intermediary organization; and strengthening the government’s public function while deferring to the principle “To do it, or to leave it ”.