International Association of Students in Agricultural and Related Sciences - History - Chronology of The Annual World Congresses

Chronology of The Annual World Congresses

• 1957 First International Congress in Tunis (Tunisia), foundation of IAAS (then AIEA) by Germany, Finland, The Netherlands, Norway, Rumania, 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 trainings that were organised 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 Headquarter 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: 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 32rd Congress in Nairobi (Kenya); Topic: Agriculture, Underproduction and its Future Prospects in Developing Countries

New Member: Thailand

• 1990 33rd Congress in Godollo (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

Special event: first WOCAs took place in Hungary and Portugal

• 1992 35th Congress in Belgium
• 1993 36th Congress in Brazil
• 1994 37th Congress in Slovenia; 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: Indonesia, 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, USA, 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;