Abstract: Heavy metal pollution is becoming a crucial factor influencing the sustainable development of agriculture in China. While, safety agro-utilization of heavy metal contaminated farmland soil in large regional area has attracted increasing attention worldwide. The researchers in Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ISA) have paid attention to the safety agro-utilization of heavy metal, especially cadmium, polluted farmland soils since 2006. We conducted systematic research on positioning monitoring of heavy metal pollution, typical contaminated regions survey, selection of heavy metal low-accumulation and high-tolerance crops varieties, agronomic measures, in-situ immobilization, heavy metal tolerance and remediation potential of alternative plants. Therefore, the status, trends, and probable causes for heavy metal contamination of soil, irrigation water and agricultural products in Hunan province have been clarified. A batch of crop varieties were screened out for the planting in heavy metal polluted farmland soil. The effects of agronomic measures, such as management of fertilizers and water, foliar application of micronutrients, removal of crop straws, on reducing the accumulation of heavy metal in agricultural products were confirmed. The immobilization effects and mechanism of slag, quick lime, sepiolite, biochar derived from agricultural wastes, humic acid applied alone or in combination on heavy metal in soil were also studies. The single extraction methods for evaluating the available Cd in soil collected form large regional area and the immobilization effect of amendments on Cd in contaminated paddy soil were described. A comprehensive technology as ‘agronomic measures for slightly contaminated soil, in-situ immobilization for moderately contaminated soil and alternative plants for heavily contaminated soil’, and several practical modes for the safety agro-utilization of heavy metal polluted farmland soil were constructed. Moreover, a technology research and development open platform and several pilot-application bases for heavy metal contaminated farmland soil were constructed. Further, the prospects and future research hotspots of safety utilization of heavy metal contaminated farmland soil for the ISA were discussed.