IAAS was established in a decade in which nations all over the world were still recovering from the harsh devastation and suffering resulting from the
Second World War. However, young people strongly fostered hope for progress, peace and stability. Students in the field of
agriculture decided to come together and create a new international student platform by establishing IAAS more than half a century ago 1957 in
Tunis, the same year when the
Treaty of Rome has been signed to establish the
European Community. In this decade, students from all disciplines started to acknowledge their role as agents of change in society and decided to come together to share values. They realized that only by sharing diversity, they could really cooperate to build a better world, a world in peace, harmony, and freedom. Thus
AIESEC,
IAESTE,
IFMSA, IVSA and IAAS have been established in less than one decade.
The early beginning • 1954 The
International Union of Students and the Romania Union sent invitations to students in agriculture all over the world for a meeting in
Bucharest. It is the first attempt known of international cooperation between students in agriculture. • 1956 In
Paris an international week of study on agriculture took place. Students decided that
UGET, the Tunis student union, would organize an international seminar on agriculture in summer 1957. The same year an international seminar for agricultural students was held in Norway.
Year of establishment 1957 was the real beginning of the IAAS, which was then called AIEA (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Agriculture) and had French as the working language. Independent from the decisions made during the international meeting in Paris, the Students council from the Netherlands (NSR) also planned to organize an international seminar on agriculture from 22 till 29 June 1957. Around December 1956, NSR (Netherlands) and UGET (Tunis) got to know about each other's plans and this caused a conflict. UGET did not like the idea of having two international seminars so close to each other. However, several careful and diplomatic dialogues per mail, and a meeting in
Leiden (the
Netherlands) on 15–16 March 1957, resulted in cooperation and a tight friendship between Tahar Belkhodja (president of UGET) and R. van den Berg (president of NSR). The NSR decided to cancel its congress in
Wageningen in favor of the one in Tunis and to cooperate intensively with UGET. It seems to be just an anecdote, but there are reasons to believe that this cooperation between
The Netherlands and
Tunisia was crucial for the continuity of IAAS in the first years. When the Dutch canceled their seminar, they asked all participants to come to the seminar in Tunis instead. This seminar turned out to be the
founding World Congress of IAAS and Germany,
Finland,
The Netherlands, Norway,
Romania, Switzerland,
Czechoslovakia and of course
Tunisia were the participating countries. A few other countries attended the congress as observers. Mr. Tahar Belkhodge (Tunisia) was elected as
President and Mr. Fehr (France) was elected as
Secretary General. Also, the Dutch students were well prepared to organize a seminar in the Netherlands in 1958, which became the second world congress of IAAS.
Chronology of the annual World Congresses •
1957 First International Congress in
Tunis (
Tunisia), foundation of IAAS (then AIEA) by Germany,
Finland,
The Netherlands, Norway,
Romania, Switzerland,
Czechoslovakia and
Tunisia •
1958 2nd Congress in
Wageningen (
The Netherlands), First to mention the exchange program. New members: Belgium, Denmark, France and Sweden Special event: The exchange did exist in two parts: The exchange weeks and training that were organized by
IAESTE. •
1959 3rd Congress in Vollebek (Norway) •
1960 4th Congress in
Rehovot (Israel); Topic: Intensive Agriculture New member country: Israel •
1961 5th Congress in
Bern (Switzerland) New member countries: Austria,
Great Britain,
Nigeria,
Portugal •
1962 6th Congress in
Uppsala (Sweden); Topic: Agriculture and Cooperation New member country:
Yugoslavia Special event:
Executive committee of the association formed by the
president,
vice president and
secretary general, working in
headquarters in
Leuven (Belgium), also Control Committee formed by four members and national representatives elected •
1963 7th Congress in
Brussels (Belgium); Topic: Belgian Agriculture New member countries: Italy and Spain Special event: the first issue of the
JOINT, an IAAS Magazine edited by the Secretary General and a board; few issues every year •
1964 8th Congress in Italy; ''didn't take place due to difficulties in the Italian Student Union'' •
1965 9th Congress in
Leeds (England) •
1966 10th Congress in
Vienna (Austria); Topic: Austrian Agriculture •
1967 11th Congress in
Rehovot (Israel); Topic: Agriculture in Israel •
1968 12th Congress in
Helsinki (
Finland); Topic: Farming and Forestry in cooperation in Finland New member country: Ireland •
1969 13th Congress in
Zurich (Switzerland); Topic: Special Problems in Swiss Agriculture Special Event: first time a
Responsible Meeting held at half term in
Wageningen •
1970 14th Congress in Denmark; Topic: Pollution Problems •
1971 15th Congress in
Stuttgart and
Kiel (Germany); Topic: Higher Education in Agriculture •
1972 16th Congress
Oxford (
Great Britain); Topic: The changing role of Agriculture in the developed countries New members: Hungary and
Poland •
1973 17th Congress in
Ghent (Belgium); Theme: Social aspects of Agriculture New country: India •
1974 18th Congress in
Uppsala (Sweden); Topic: Underemployment - The Challenge for Rural development •
1975 19th Congress in
Langnau (Switzerland); Topic: Langnau in the Emmental Switzerland •
1976 20th Congress in
Rehovot (Israel); Topic: Agriculture in the Desert Special event: Development fund created to assist member with fewer opportunities to attend our meetings, originally with support of the FAO •
1977 21st Congress in Norway; Topic: Agriculture and Pollution New member:
Uganda •
1978 22nd Congress in
Helsinki (
Finland); Topic: The Changing role of Rural Population New member:
Sudan •
1979 23rd Congress in
Nairobi (
Kenya); Topic: The Role of Agricultural Institutes in adapting education for Rural Development New members:
Kenya and
Togo •
1980 24th Congress in
Galicia (Spain); Topic: The Agrarian Extension and Training in Rural Development New member countries:
Liberia •
1981 25th Congress in
Warsaw (
Poland); Theme: Agriculture and Food Production Today and Tomorrow New member country:
Zambia •
1982 26th Congress in
Copenhagen (Denmark); Topic: Farming as a way of living •
1983 27th Congress in
The Netherlands, Belgium and
Luxembourg; Topic: Intensifying Agriculture meets National and International Responsibilities •
1984 28th Congress in
Wageningen (
The Netherlands); Topic: Wageningen, an International Centre of Agricultural Research and Education New members:
Ghana and
Tanzania •
1985 29th Congress in Austria and Switzerland; Topic: The agriculture in two Alpine countries and their International Relations New member country:
Egypt •
1986 Congress in
Egypt;
was cancelled by Egypt •
1987 30th Congress in
Lille (France); Topic: French Agriculture Special event: First time to mention the formation of permanent working groups •
1988 31st Congress in
Perugia (Italy); Topic: Mediterranean Agriculture: Marginal Areas, Typical Production and its Transformation New member:
Benin •
1989 32nd Congress in
Nairobi (
Kenya); Topic: Agriculture, Underproduction and its Future Prospects in Developing Countries New Member:
Thailand •
1990 33rd Congress in
Gödöllő, Hungary; Topic: Cooperatives have the Future Special event: WOCAs created as Working Camps aiming at linking the theoretical aspect of our academic education with more practical experience •
1991* 34th Congress in
Thailand; Topic: South-Asian Agricultural System: its problems and future prospects New member:
Indonesia (Candidate Member). Special event: first WOCAs took place in Hungary and Portugal •
1992 35th Congress in Belgium. Seminar in Belgium and
The Netherlands. New member:
Indonesia (Full member) •
1993 36th Congress in
Brazil •
1994 37th Congress in
Slovenia and Switzerland; Topic: Challenges of Marginal Areas New members:
Guatemala,
Armenia,
Latvia,
Croatia,
Sri Lanka •
1995 38th Congress in Denmark; Topic: Cooperatives in Agriculture-The Danish Way New Members:
Angola and
Sierra Leone (Candidate Members) •
1996 39th Congress in
Indonesia; Topic: Tropical Agriculture in the Global Market •
1997 40th Congress in
Croatia; Topic: Food Security New Members:
Uruguay,
Benin, United States,
Ukraine,
Belarus (Candidate members),
Bulgaria,
Paraguay,
Yugoslavia (Full Members) •
1998 41st Congress in
Togo; Topic: Cash Crops and Agricultural dynamics New Members:
Zimbabwe,
Senegal (Candidate members),
Benin,
Liberia, Mexico,
Zambia (full members) •
1999 42nd Congress in Norway and Sweden; Topic: Food and Health New members:
Belarus,
Zimbabwe,
Senegal (full members) •
2000 43rd Congress in Mexico; Topic: The Water Issue •
2001 44th Congress in
Portugal; Topic: Sustainable Development New members: Russia,
Algeria,
South Africa,
Sri Lanka (Candidate Members) •
2002 45th congress in
Indonesia; Topic:
Agribusiness now and then •
2003 46th Congress in Belgium; Topic: Food Quality, a Challenge for North and South, in cooperation with the FAO •
2004 47th Congress in
Croatia and Italy; Topic: Culture, Tradition and Typical food: The Journey Through Mediterranean Agriculture, in cooperation with the FAO •
2005 48th Congress in
Togo and
Ghana; Topic: Combating Hunger in developing countries: the role of Agricultural Research •
2006 49th Congress in
Malaysia (organized by IAAS Denmark); Topic: Sustainable Development – Environmental Protection and Agricultural Innovation •
2007 50th Congress in Germany and Switzerland; Topic: Food Quality and Food Security – the challenge is ours! •
2008 51st Congress in
Belarus; Topic: Rural tourism as solution for employment, local development and environment: principles to practices •
2009 52nd Congress in Mexico; Topic: Biodiversity now, Food for tomorrow •
2010 53rd Congress in
Indonesia; Topic: "The power of local resources to support food, energy and trade:food security, renewable resources, free trade" •
2011 54th Congress in
Macedonia; Topic: "Food identity" •
2012 55th Congress in Belgium and Germany; Topic: "Face the Future! Agriculture from a Different Point of View" •
2013 56th Congress in
Chile; Topic: "Producing Food for the World" •
2014 57th Congress in United States; Topic: "Farming for the Future" •
2015 58th Congress in The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy; Topic: "How to feed the planet?" •
2016 59th Congress in Indonesia; Topic: "Plant your future" •
2017 60th Congress in Mexico; Topic : "Mexico 360" •
2018 61st Congress in Croatia (Zagreb, Istria and Dalmatia); Topic : "Croatia, a Tale of Land and Water" •
2019 62nd Congress in Côte d'Ivoire; Topic: "Flying towards Agricultural Transformation" •
2020 63rd Congress ONLINE; Topic: "Evolving in times of crisis: Stepping up our IAAS community" •
2021 64th Congress Hybrid in Turkey; Topic: "From Soils to the Spoon" •
2022 65th Congress in Morocco; Topic: "Water Scarcity and its Effects on Food Security" •
2023 66th Congress in Mexico; Topic: "Technology transfer and sustainability in food systems" •
2024 67th Congress in Bangladesh; Topic: "Youth in Action: Challenges and Smart Solutions for Resilient Agro-food System" •
2025 68th Congress in Switzerland/Italy; Topic: "From Switzerland to Italy: How Ecosystems Shape the Agri-Food Landscape" == Former Executive Boards ==