Elevated concentrations of heavy metals in agricultural soils directly threaten human health through the food chain. Heavy metal pollution has pervaded many parts of China, posing a major threat to the safety of agricultural products. Pollution of agricultural soils with heavy metals is characterized by its complex origin, difficulty in its evaluation and remediation. Better understanding of the processes of pollution is the prerequisite of effective pollution control. It was reiterated in this paper that a national-scale thorough investigation is immediately needed to grasp the overall situation of heavy metal contamination of agricultural soils in the country. Enhancing the support of science and technology, perfecting laws and regulations, cultivating the industry of agricultural resources and environment protection, constructing work systems to secure the safety of agricultural production bases are the priority measures in improving the effectiveness of heavy metal pollution control.