The International Institute of Agriculture (IIA) was the first organization to systematically produce and exchange global data on crops, cultivated land, and trade flows. The late 19th century called for a demand in worldwide data on production, stocks, and consumption, as a rise in agricultural commoditities emerged in global markets. Private actors and services attempted to step in to address these gaps that were present in the agricultural field, but could not fulfill these issues. As a result, governments created the IIA to provide public international statistics, in response to these previous challenges. Their reports on crops and evaluations on international production became crucial components to analyze the global economy and universal agricultural data analytics. After World War II, it was replaced by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
History The IIA was founded in Rome in 1905 by the King of Italy Victor Emmanuel III with the intent of creating a clearinghouse for collection of agricultural statistics, in order to be able to compare countries' agricultural output. In 1904, the idea of such an institute came to David Lubin of Sacramento, California, and the creation of the IIA was primarily due to his efforts. His project found favor with the king of Italy, who was convinced to back the creation of an international organization where governments could share new methods and strategies for agricultural purposes and technological advancements in this field. The latter gave a building in Rome and an annual income of $60,000. The king called the first congress in 1906, and delegates attended from 40 countries. At the congress, a treaty was formed making the institute a permanent organization, defining its scope and activities, and setting international standards in agricultural practices and administration. The IIA's most immediate concern was to create an international centralization initiative to promote the welfare of farmers. Its initial task consisted of gathering annual crop production statistics from nations worldwide, presenting this data as a "single numeric statement," which indicated the year's anticipated harvests as a percentage of the previous year's harvests. In 1930, the IIA published the first world agricultural census. After World War II, both its assets and mandate were handed over to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
Main Actors - Italian Government The idea for the establishment of an international chamber of agriculture was launched by a campaign from the Italian government, who were looking to unify agriculturalists beyond national borders. The main driving forces of the global agricultural revolution, occurring in the second half of the 19th century, were factors such as growth in global trade, decrease in transportation costs, crops and natural resources, and new opportunities in result of an overseas circulation of labor. All of these agricultural components influenced rural transformation and economic expansion, which ultimately led to an urgency in organization of these new dynamics. With the idea of the creation of the IIA in mind, Italy sent diplomats and political experts to mobilize foreign governments in support of the organization's initiative, reinforcing their influence in international relations. Eventually, Italian elites and prominent economists came together to use its transnational networks and expertise to prepare the official report submitted to the Italian government for final approval of the organization. Through promoting and ensuring the success of the newly found international organization, the report was approved, prompting a shift in the communication within the agricultural sector and strengthened the field of foreign policy.
Main Actors - The Ottoman Empire One of the major contributors who played a significant role in the establishment of the IIA was the Ottoman Empire. In the early activities of the institute, the most active participants were representatives from this region. The contributions and participation from the Ottoman Empire allowed its political officials to assert their position on creating a global standard for data collection, while also broadening their domestic activity and making statistical information of the Ottoman economy available to the public. The Empire's contributions to the formation of the IIA was an influential aspect to their politics due to having an early vote and firm stance on the institute's international standard setting process. Ultimately, the involvement of the Ottoman Empire not only helped build the foundation principles of the IIA, but also connected them to a global network of agricultural bureaucrats, making it easier to exchange and compare data on the international scale.
Administration The administration of the IIA was vested in the general assembly of delegates from affiliated countries, meeting every two years, and in a permanent executive committee, on which there was one representative from each country. This permanent committee had direct charge of the IIA. The general officers were the president (also chairman of the permanent committee), the vice president and the secretary general. The work of the institute was divided among four bureaus:
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