The paper discusses the major changes necessary for the agricultural higher education system in Central and Eastern Europe, including the former Soviet Union, to meet the challenges created by overall reforms in the food and agricultural sector as well as the adjustment of the global system of agricultural education. The issues arising from the need for reforms in the agricultural education system are presented in an overview of the inherited features of the system, an assessment of the current situation, a status report on the reform attempts and a discussion of the ctitical issues for the future. © 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.