The Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences "Gheorghe Ionescu-Şişeşti" (A.A.F.S.) is a public specialized institution, autonomous, of scientific coordination and  academic acknowledgement, with legal personality, operating according to its own statute under the coordination of the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and collaborates with  the Ministry of National Education (MNE).

A.A.F.S. represents the Romanian State in the international scientific relationships in its fields of activity and participates on its own at national and international technical-scientific programs of cooperation.

In order to accomplish the R&D objectives in the National Research-Development Plan, AAFS has under its subordination 4 national institutes, 13 branch institutes and 45 agricultural research-development stations on the whole territory of the country. At the same time, A.A.F.S. scientifically coordinates 3 institutes and private research units.

The R&D units are financed from extra budgetary income obtained by R&D contracts, fees from biologic creations, services as well as the capitalization of agricultural products (seeds, seedlings of superior biologic categories and pure-bred animals) obtained in the development sectors.
In order to increase the managerial efficiency in its scientific activity, A.A.F.S. organized regional branches in Bucharest, Brasov, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Iasi and Timisoara.

A.A.F.S. together with its network of research-development units, represents a set of structures that allow a systemic approach from the organizing, scientific, technical and social-economic point of view to ensure research integration in the national economy development strategy.

The scientific research and technologic development activity of the A.A.F.S. units is carried out by 800 graduates from whom 512 are attested researchers.

The research-development units have a logistic basis consisting of laboratories for complex analyses of phytotron, zootron, apitron types, greenhouses and vegetation chambers, draining and erosion plots, banks of genetic resources and data, long term experimental fields and other facilities. For research purposes as well as for producing seeds, seedlings and animals for reproduction, the units possess a patrimony consisting of 30.000 ha of agricultural land and animals stocks.

A special attention is also paid to supply important quantities of newly created seeds and breeding stocks and numerous specific consulting actions.

A.A.F.S. and its network of R&D units collaborates with the Universities of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine (U.A.S.V.M.) situated in the main towns of the country and other local structures for carrying out in due time the transfer of valuable information and results from the research activity to their users.